®l|e  i.  M.  Bill  Sibrarg 

Nnrtlj  (Earaltna  BtnU 


QK482 

K25 
1902 


This  book  was  presented  by 


Howard  R.  Krjnbill 


NORTH  CAROLINA  STATE  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 


S02069294  W 


OUR   NATIVE   TREES 


OUR  NATIVE  TREES 


AND  HOW  TO  IDENTIFY   THEM 


|)aijit6  anU  W(^m  fjcculiarittcfl! 


By   HARRIET    L.   KEELER 


WITH  178  ILLUSTRATIONS  FROM 
PHOTOGRAPHS  AND  WITH  162 
ILLUSTRATIONS  FROM  DRAWINGS 


THIRD  EDITION 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER'S    SONS 
NEW    YORK    ::    ::    ::    ::    ::    ::    1902 


Copyright,  1900,  by 
CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


TROW   DIRECTORY 

PRINTING   AND   BOOKBINDING  COMPANY 

NEW   YORK 


TO    THE    MEMORY    OF 

PHYLLIS   AND   NICHOLAS 


MY    LOVING    COMPANIONS   THROUGH 

FIELD    AND    WOOD 

THIS    VOLUME    IS    DEDICATED 


PREFACE 

The  trees  described  in  this  volume  are  those  indigenous 
to  the  region  extending  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean  to  the 
Rocky  Mountains  and  from  Canada  to  the  northern  boun- 
daries of  the  southern  states  ;  together  with  a  few  well- 
known  and  naturalized  foreign  trees  such  as  the  Horse- 
chestnut,  Lombardy  Poplar,  Ailanthus  and  Sycamore  Maple. 

It  is  hoped  that  this  book  will  commend  itself  : 

To  amateur  botanists  who  desire  a  more  extended  and  ac- 
curate description  of  trees  than  is  given  by  the  botanical 
text-books  in  ordinary  use. 

I'o  such  of  the  general  public  as  habitually  live  near  fields 
and  woods  ;  or  whose  love  of  rural  life  has  led  them  to 
summer  homes  in  hill  country  or  along  the  sea-shore  ;  or 
whose  daily  walks  lead  them  through  our  city  parks  and  open 
commons. 

To  all  those  who  feel  that  their  enjoyment  of  out-door  life 
would  be  distinctly  increased  were  they  able  easily  to  deter- 
mine the  names  of  trees. 

The  author  is  glad  to  acknowledge  her  great  indebtedness 
to  the  following  books  of  reference  ;  Sargent's  "The  Silva  of 
North  America,"  Michaux's  "  North  American  Sylva,"  Lou- 
don's "  Arboretum  et  Fruticetum  Britannicum,"  Emerson's 
"  Report  on  the  Trees  and  Shrubs  of  Massachusetts,"  Sach's 
"Physiology  of  Plants,"  Sach's  "Text-Book  of  Botany,"  Le 
Maout  and  Decaisne's  "  General  System  of  Botany,"  Britton 
and  Brown's  "  Illustrated  Flora  of  the  United  States  and 
Canada,"  Dawson's  "Geological  History  of  Plants,"  Hough's 
"  American  Woods,"  Gray's  "  Manual  of  Botany,"  sixth  edi- 

vii 


PREFACE 

tion,  Vine's  "  Students'  Text-Book  of  Botany,"  "  The  Check 
List  of  the  Forest  Trees  of  the  United  States,"  and  the  mag- 
azine Garden  ajid  Forest. 

The  extracts  from  the  works  of  Lowell,  Longfellow, 
Emerson,  Whittier,  Holmes,  Thoreau,  Burroughs,  and  Miss 
Thomas  are  used  with  the  permission  of  and  by  special  ar- 
rangement with  the  publishers  Messrs.  Houghton,  Mifflin 
&  Co.,  those  from  Wilson  Flagg  with  the  permission  of  the 
Educational  Publishing  Co.,  that  from  Bryant  with  the  per- 
mission of  the  publishers,  Messrs.  D.  Appleton  &  Co. 

The  quotations  from  the  works  of  Professor  G.  Frederick 
Wright,  Professor  George  Pierce,  and  Professor  D.  T.  Mac- 
Dougal  are  made  by  the  kind  consent  of  the  authors.  Es- 
pecial acknowledgment  is  due  to  Professor  Charles  S.  Sar- 
gent not  only  because  in  the  preparation  of  this  volume  the 
Silva  of  North  America  has  been  the  authority  which  has 
decided  every  case  of  doubt  and  because  of  his  kind  per- 
mission to  quote  from  his  writings,  but  also  because  of  his 
kindly  interest  and  his  invaluable  assistance  in  obtaining 
specimens  for  illustrations  from  the  Arnold  Arboretum.  To 
Miss  Anna  J.  Wright,  Miss  Charlotte  Bushnell  and  Mr. 
Charles  F.  Pack  especial  thanks  are  due  for  valuable  notes 
and  suggestions  ;  also  to  the  Director  of  the  Missouri  Bo- 
tanical Garden  for  specimens  kindly  sent  upon  request. 

The  outline  pictures  are  the  work  of  Miss  Mary  Keffer  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio.  The  photographs  for  the  illustrations 
were  taken  partly  by  Mr.  Alfred  Redher,  of  the  Arnold  Ar- 
boretum, partly  by  Mr.  Charles  H,  Coit,  of  Glenville,  Ohio, 
but  principally  by  Decker,  Edmonson  &  Co.  of  Cleveland, 
Ohio. 

May  20,  1900. 


CONTENTS 

Page 

Genera  and  Species xi 

Illustrations xvii 

Guide  to  the  Trees xxi 

Descriptions  of  tlie  Trees : 

Dicotyledones / 

GymnospermcB ^37 

Form  and  Structure  of  Roots,  Stems,  Leaves, 
Flowers,  and  Fruit ^03 

Tlie  Tree  Stem  or  TrunJi 5/^ 

Species  and  Genus ^ly 

Glossary  of  Botanical  Names       .       .       .       .  ^ig 

Index  of  Latin  Names ^2y 

Index  of  Common  Names ^^o 


GENERA   AND   SPECIES 


DICOTYLEDONES 


Magnoliace^     . 

.    Magnolia  Family 

•^Magnolia  glauca    . 

.     Swamp  Magnolia 

3 

\Magnolia  iripetala 

.     Umbrella-tree 

5 

\Mag7ioHa  actimijiata 

.     Cucumber-tree     . 

9 

•'\Lh'iodendro7i  tiiHpifera 

.     Tulip-tree    .... 

14 

Annonace^ 

.     Custard-Apple  Family 

Asimiiia  triloba 

Papaw          .... 

20 

TlLIACE^      .           .           .           . 

.     Linden  Family 

^Tilia  aine7'icaiia     . 

.     Linden          .         .         .         . 

24 

^^ilia  pubescens 

.     Downy  Linden     . 

30 

\Tilia  heterophylla  . 

.     White  Basswood 

30 

Tilia  eiiropcea 

.     European  Linden 

30 

RUTACEiE       . 

.     Rue  Family 

Ptelea  trifoliata     . 

.     Wafer  Ash 

32 

SlMAROUBACE^     . 

.    Ailanthus  Family 

Ailatithus  glaiididosa 

.     Ailanthus     .         .         .         . 

36 

Aquifoliace^     . 

.    Holly  Family 

Ilex  opaca 

.     American  Holly  . 

41 

Ilex  ino7iticola 

.     Mountain  Holly  . 

45 

Celastrace^e 

.    Staff-tree  Family 

.  Euofiyimis  atropttrpwet 

(s        .     Burning  Bush 

46 

Rhamnace^e 

Rhamnus  caroliniana 


Buckthorn  Family 
Indian  Cherry 


49 


GENERA  AND   SPECIES 


PAGE 

HIPPOCASTANACE.E     . 

.     Horse-chestnut  Family 

-\  jEsciilus  glabra 

.     Ohio  Buckeye 

50 

yEsc7ih{s  octandra  . 

.     Sweet  Buckeye    . 

54 

J^-^smlus  hippocastatitmi. 

.     Horse-chestnut    . 

54 

ACERACE/E    .           .            .            . 

.     Maple  Family 

Acer  pe7iiisylvaniciim 

Striped  Maple 

60 

Acer  spicatum 

.     Mountain  Maple  . 

64 

Acer  sacchanun 

.     Sugar  Maple 

66 

Acer  saccharijium  . 

.     Silver  Maple 

73 

Acer  rubriun  . 

.     Red  Maple  .         .         .         . 

n 

Acer  plataiioides     . 

.     Norway  Maple     . 

82 

Acer  pseiido-plata?ius 

.     Sycamore  Maple  . 

82 

Acer  negimdo. 

.     Box  Elder   .         .         .         . 

85 

Anacardiace^  . 

.     Sumach  Family 

Rhus  hirta 

.     Velvet  Sumach     . 

88 

Rhus  copalh'na 

.     Dwarf  Sumach    . 

91 

Rhus  verftz'x  . 

.     Poison  Sumach   . 

94 

Leguminos/e 

.     Pea  Family 

Robinia  pseudacacia 

.     Locust         .         .         .        . 

97 

Robiiiia  viscosa 

.     Clammy  Locust  . 

103 

Cercis  canadensis    . 

.     Redbud 

104 

Gymnocladus  dioicus 

.     Kentucky  Coffee-tree  . 

109 

Gleditsia  triacanfhos 

.     Honey  Locust 

.  112 

Cladrastis  lutea 

.     Yellow-wood 

.  116 

Rosacea      .        .        .        . 

.    Rose  Family 

Prunus  nigra 

.     Canada  Plum 

119 

Prunus  amerz'cana 

.     Wild  Plum  . 

.  120 

Prunus  pennsylvam'ca 

.     Wild  Red  Cherry 

122 

Prunus  virginiana 

.     Choke  Cherry 

125 

Prunus  serotma 

.     Black  Cherry 

.  128 

Pyrus  coronaria 

.     Crab  Apple. 

•   133 

Pyrus  a?nerzcana    . 

.     Mountain  Ash 

.   136 

Pyrus  auc  tip  aria   . 

.     European  Mountain  Ash 

.   138 

Pyrus  sainbucifolia 

.     Elderleaf  Mountain  Ash 

.  140 

CratcEgus  crus-galli 

Cockspur  Thorn  . 

.   140 

Cratcegus  coccinea  . 

.     White  Thorn 

.   143 

CratcEgus  mollis      . 

.     Scarlet  Haw 

•  144 

GENERA  AND   SPECIES 


Rosacea — Cojttmiicd. 
Cratcrgns  tonieiitosa 
Cratcsgits  punctata. 
Aviclatichier  canadensis. 

HAMAMELIDACE/E 

Ha?nanielis  vi7'giniana 
Liquidambar  styracifiua 

Araliace^. 

Aralia  spinosa 

CORNACE^   . 

Cornus  fiorida 
Corn  us  alternifolia. 
Nyssa  sylvatica 

Caprifoliace^  . 

Viburnum  lent  ago . 
Vibur7ium  prmiifoliuni 

ERICACE/E      . 

Kalniia  latifolia 
Rhododendro7i  maxim um 
Oxydendrum  arboreum 

Ebenace^   , 

Diospyros  virginiana 

Styracace^ 

MoJirodendron  caroh'num 
Mohrodcndron  dipterum 

OLEACEyE       .... 
V'Fraxinus  americana 
V  Fraxinus  pennsylvanica 
Fraxinus  lanceolata 
Fraxin us  qitadrangidata 
Fraxinus  nigra 
1/  Chtonanthus  virginica   . 

BlGNONIACE^ 

Catalpa  Catalpa     . 
Catalpa  speciosa 


PAGE 

Black  Thorn 

.      148 

Doited  Haw 

.      150 

June-berry   . 

.      153 

Witch  Hazel  Family 

Witch  Hazel 

•      157 

Sweet  Gum 

.      160 

Ginseng  Family 

Hercules'  Club     . 

.      165 

Dogwood  Family 

Flowering  Dogwood     .  .169 
Alternate-leaved  Dogwood  .   175 

Tupelo         .         .         .  .177 

Honeysuckle  Family 

Sweet  Viburnum .         .  .181 

Black  Haw.         .         .  .184 


Heath  Family 

Mountain  Laurel 

.  186 

Rhododendron     . 

.         .   189 

Sourwood    . 

.  192 

Ebony  Family 

Persimmon  . 

.   195 

Storax  Family 

Silverbell-tree 

,  20G 

Snowdrop- tree      . 

.  202 

Olive  Family 

White  Ash  . 

.  206 

Red  Ash      . 

.   212 

Green  Ash  . 

.  214 

Blue  Ash     . 

.  214 

Black  Ash   . 

.  218 

Fringe-tred . 

.  222 

Bignonia  Family 

Catalpa 

.   225 

Hardy  Catalpa     . 

.   228 

GENERA  AND   SPECIES 


PAGE 

Laurace^  .... 

Laurel  Family 

Sassafras  sassafras 

Sassafras     .         .         .         . 

229 

Ulmace^     .... 

.    Elm  Family 

Ulmus  ajnericafia  . 

White  Elm. 

233 

Ulinus  pub  esc  ens     . 

Slippery  Elm 

240 

Ulmus  raceinosa 

Cork  Elm     .         .         .         , 

242 

Ulmus  alata   . 

Winged  Elm 

246 

Ulmus  cainpestris  . 

English  Elm 

248 

Celtis  occidentalis   . 

Hackberry   .         .         .         . 

249 

MORACE^      .... 

Mulberry  Family 

Morus  rubra  . 

Red  Mulberry 

253 

Morus  nigra  . 

Black  Mulberry    . 

254 

Morus  alba     . 

White  Mulberry  . 

258 

Toxylon  pomiferum 

Osage  Orange 

258 

Platanace^ 

.     Plane-Tree  Family 

Platanus  occidentalis     . 

.     Sycamore    .         .         .         . 

263 

JUGLANDACE^      . 

Walnut  Family 

fuglans  nigra 

.     Black  Walnut      .         .    .     . 

269 

Juglajts  cinerea 

Butternut     . 

274 

Hicoria  .... 

.     Hickory        .         .         .         . 

276 

Hicoria  mitujna 

.     Bitternut      .         .         .         . 

279 

Hicoria  ovata. 

.     Shellbark  Hickory 

282 

Hicoria  lactm'osa    . 

.     Big  Shellbark       .         . 

286 

Hicoria  alba  . 

Mockernut  . 

286 

Hicoria  glabra 

Pignut. 

290 

Betulace^. 

.    Birch  Family 

Betula     .... 

.     Birch   .         .         .        . 

295 

Betula  populifolia  . 

.     White  Birch. 

.  297 

Betula  papyrif era  . 

.     Paper  Birch. 

302 

Betula  7iigra  . 

.     Red  Birch    . 

306 

Betula  lutea   » 

.     Yellow  Birch 

310 

Betula  lent  a    . 

.     Sweet  Birch. 

311 

Almis  glutinosa 

,     European  Alder  . 

314 

Ostrya  virginiana  . 

.     Hop  Hornbeam    . 

.  316 

Carpinus  caroliniana     . 

.     Hornbeam   . 

.  319 

XIV 


GENERA  AND   SPECIES 


CUPULIFER^ 

Qucrcus  . 

Qiiercus  alba   .  -     . 

Querciis  minor        . 

Qiie7'cus  macrocarpa  ' 

Querciis  primes       r" 

Qucrcus  aciwiinata.  " 

Qucrcus  prinoides  . 

Quercus  piatanoides  — - 

Qucrcus  rubra         .■- 

Quercus  coccinea     r- 

Quercus  velutina     .-- 

Quercus  digitata    -r 

Quercus  palustris   r 

Quercus  ilicifolia    . 

Quercus  mari/andica 

Qucrcus  iinbricaria 

Quercus  phellos 
Fagace.e      . 

Fagus  atropunicea 

Casta7iea  dcntata    . 

Castanea  pumila 
Salicace/E  . 

Salix 

Salix  nigra    . 

Salix  lucida   . 

Salix  auiygdaloides 

Salix  fluviat  His 

Salix  bebbiana 

Salix  discolor. 

Salix  alba  vitellina 

Salix  frag  His 

Salix  babylonica 

Populus . 

Populus  tremuloides 

Populus  graiididcntata 

Populus  hetcrophylla 

Populus  balsaniifera 

Populus  balsamifera  caudic 

Populus  deltoides    . 

Populus  alba  . 

Populus  nigra  italica 


.  Oak  F'amily 

.  Oak     . 

.  White  Oak  . 

.  Post  Oak      . 

.  Bur  Oak       . 

Chestnut  Oak 

.  Yellow  Oak 

.  Dwarf  Chinquapin  Oak 

.  Swamp  White  Oak 

.  Red  Oak      . 

.  Scarlet  Oak  . 

.  Black  Oak    . 

.  Spanish  Oak 

.  Pin  Oak 

.  Bear  Oak     . 

.  Black  Jack  . 

,  Shingle  Oak 

.  Willow  Oak 

.  Beech  Family 

.  Beech  . 

.  Chestnut 

.  Chinquapin. 

.  Willow  Family 

.  Willow 

.  Black  Willow 

.  Shining  Willow 

Peach  Willow 

.  Sandbar  Willow 

.  Bebb  Willow 

.  Glaucous  Willow 

.  White  Willow 

.  Crack  Willow 

.  Weeping  Willow 

.  Poplar 

.  Aspen 

.  Large-toothed  Aspen 

.  Swamp  Cottonwood 

.  Balsam 

rus  Balm  of  Gilead     . 

.  Cottonwood, 

.  White  Poplar 

.  Lombardy  Poplar 


GENERA  AND   SPECIES 


GYMNOSPERM.E 


PlNACE^ 

.    Pine  Family 

PinacecE 

.     Pines 439 

Finns 

.     The  Pine      . 

440 

'^Pimis  pa  Ins  iris 

.     Long-leaved  Pine 

443 

'\-'Pin7is  strobtis 

.     White  Pine  . 

443 

1  Piims  resiiiosa 

.     Red  Pine      . 

450 

\  Pinus  taeda   . 

.     Loblolly  Pine 

452 

-^imts  rigida  . 

.     Pitch  Pine    . 

454 

..yPiHus  vir'giniaiia  . 

.     Jersey  Pine  . 

456 

J^inus  echinata 

.     Yellow  Pine 

458 

\  Pinus  divaricata    . 

.     Gray  Pine     . 

460 

Pinus  laricio  austriaca  . 

.     Austrian  Pine 

462 

"hPinus  sylvestris 

.     Scotch  Pine 

464 

^Picea  canadensis     . 

.     White  Spruce 

.  464 

1  Picea  rubens  . 

.     Red  Spruce 

.  468 

I  Picea  mariana 

.     Black  Spruce 

470 

•^-Picea  excelsa  . 

4-  Tsuga  canadensis  . 

.     Norway  Spruce    . 

473 

.     Hemlock 

474 

*\^Larix  laricina 

.     Tamarack    . 

476 

Larix  europcca 

.     European  Larch 

480 

-^Abies  balsainea 

.     Balsam  Fir  . 

480 

\  Tax  odium  distichum 

.     Bald  Cypress 

484 

-i^ThuJa  Occident alis. 

.     Arborvitse    . 

486 

\Cupressus  thyoides. 

.     White  Cedar 

.  489 

■^-Jtmiperus  couimunis 

Common  Juniper 

492 

A~ Juniper  us  virginiana     . 

.     Red  Cedar  . 

496 

TaXACE/E      .           .           .          . 

.     Yew  Family 

1  Salisburia  adiantifolia 

.     Gingko-tree 

499 

ILLUSTRATIONS 

Swamp  Magnolia,  Flowering  Spray  of,  2 

Umbrella-tree,  Leaf  of,  7 

Cucumber-tree,  Leaf  of,  11 ;  Trunk  of,  12  ;  Flowering  Branch  of,  13 ;   Fruit 

of,  13 
Tulip-tree,  Leaf  of,  15  ;  Flower  of,  17  ;   Unfolding  Leaves  of,  17  ;   Fruit  Cone 

of,  18 
Papaw,  Leaf  of,  21 ;   Flower  of,  22  ;  Fruit  of,  23 
Linden,  Leaves  of,  25  ;  Fruit  of,  27  ;  Trunk  of,  28 
White  Basswood,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  31 
Wafer  Ash,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  33 

Ailanthus,  Leaves  of,  37 ;  Samaras  of,  39 ;  Sumach  Leaflet  and,  40 
Holly,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  43 
Mountain  Holly,  Leaf  of.  45 
Burning  Bush,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  47 
Ohio  Buckeye,  Flowering  Spray  of,  51  ;  Fruit  of,  53 
Sweet  Buckeye,  Leaflets  of,  55 
Horse-chestnut,  Spray  of,  57  ;  Fruit  of,  59 
Striped  Maple,  Leaf  of,  61;  Keys  of,  62 
Mountain  Maple,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  63  ;  Keys  of,  65 
Sugar  Maple,  Leaves  of,  67  ;  Keys  of,  69  ;  Trunk  of,  71 
Silver  Maple,  Flowers  of,  74;  Leaves  of,  75  ;  Key  of,  76 
Red  Maple,  Leaves  of,  79;  Key  of,  80 
Norway  Maple,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  81 
Sycamore  Maple,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  83 
Box  Elder,  Keys  of,  86;  Fruiting  Spray  of,  87 
Staghorn  Sumach,  Fruit  and  Leaf  of,  89 
Dwarf  Sumach,  Leaves  of,  93 
Poison  Sumach,  Leaves  of,  95 

Locust,  Leaves  of,  99  ;  Raceme  of  Blossoms  of,  100  ;  Fruit  of,  loi 
Redbud,  Flowering  Branch  of,  105 ;   Leaf  of,  107 
Kentucky  Coffee-tree,  Flowers  of,  no  ;  Leaves  of,  in 
Honey  Locust,  Leaves  of,  113 
Yellow-wood,  Leaves  of,  117 
Canada  Plum,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  121 
Wild  Red  Cherr\-,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  123 
Choke  Cherry,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  127 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Black  Cherry,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  129  ;  Trunk  of,  131 

Crab  Apple,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  135 

Mountain  Ash,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  137  ;  Fruiting  Spray  of  European,  139 

CocKSPUR  Thorn,  Leaves  of,  141 

White  Thorn,  Fruiting  Branch  of,  145 

Scarlet  Haw,  Fruiting  Branch  of,  147 

Black  Thorn,  Sprays  of,  149 

Dotted  Haw,  Sprays  of,  151 

June-berry,  Leaves  of,  155 

Witch  Hazel,  Leaves  of,  159 ;  Flowers  and  Fruit  of,  161 

Sweet  Gum,  Section  of  Twig  of,  162  ;  Leaves  of,  163  ;  Fruit  of,  164 

Hercules's  Club,  Leaves  of,  167 ;  Drupes  of,  168 

Dogwood,  Branch  of  Flowering,  171  ;  Flowering  Spray  of,  173  ;  Fruit  of,  174 ; 

Fruiting  Branch  of  Alternate-leaved,  176 
Tupelo,  Fruiting  Branch  of,  178 ;  Drupes  of,  179 
Sweet  Viburnum,  Sprays  of,  183 
Black  Haw,  Sprays  of,  185 

Mountain  Laurel,  Fruiting  Branch  of,  187  ;  Flower  Cluster  of,  188 
Rhododendron,  Flowering  Spray  of,  191 
Sourwood,  Leaves  of,  193  ;  Flowers  of,  194 
Persimmon,  Leaves  of,  197  ;  Fruit  of,  198 
Silverbell-tree,  Fruiting  Branch  of,  201  ;  Flowers  of,  202 
Snowdrop-tree,  Flowering  Branch  of,  203  ;  Fruit  of,  204 
White  Ash,  Leaves  of,  207 ;  Samaras  of,  20S  ;  Trunk  of,  210 
Red  Ash,  Flowers  of,  212  ;  Leaves  of,  213  ;  Samaras  of,  214 
Green  Ash,  Leaves  of,  215 

Blue  Ash,  Flower  of,  216;  Samaras  of,  216;  Leaves  of,  217 
Black  Ash,  Leaves  of,  219  ;  Flowers  of,  220;  Samaras  of,  220 
Fringe-tree,  Flowering  Branch  of,  223  ;  Drupes  of,  224 
Catalpa,  Flowering  Spray  of,  227 
Sassafras,  Fruit  of,  230 ;  Leaves  of,  231 
White  Elm,  237  ;  Flowering  Spray  of,  234  ;  Leaves  of,  235  ;  Unfolding  Leaves 

of,  238  ;  Samaras  of,  240 
Slippery  Elm,  Leaves  of,  239  ;  Samaras  of,  241 
Cork  Elm,  Leaves  of,  243  ;  Samaras  of,  244 
Winged  Elm,  Leaves  of,  245  ;  Samaras  of,  246 
English  Elm,  Leaves  of,  247 
Hackberry,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  251 
Red  Mulberry,  Fruit  of,  254  ;  Leaves  of,  255 
White  Mulberry,  Fruiting  Branch  of,  257 
Osage  Orange,  Leaves  of,  259  ;  Fruit  of,  261 
Sycamore,  Trunk  of,  264  ;  Fruit  of,  266  ;  Leaf  of,  267 
Black  Walnut,  Leaves  of,  271  ;  Trunk  of,  273  ;  Fruit  of,  275 
Butternut,  Fruit  of,  275  ;  Leaves  of,  277 
Shellbark  Hickory,  Staminate  Aments  of,  278  ;  Fruiting  Spray  of,  285  ;  Trunk 

of,  287 
Bitternut,  Leaves  of,  281  ;  Fruit  of,  282 
Mock F.R nut.  Fruit  of,  288  ;  Leaves  of,  289 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Pignut,  Fruiting  Spray  of  {Carya porciua),  291  ;  Fruiting  Spray  of  [Carya  mi- 
crocarpa)^  293 

Red  Birch,  Branch  of,  296;  Leaves  of,  307  ;  Strobiles  of,  308 

Sweet  Birch,  Aments  of,  296;  Strobiles  of,  312  ;  Leaves  of,  313 

Paper  Birch,  Strobiles  of,  302  ;  Fruiting  Sprays  of,  303  ;  Trunk  of,  305 

Yellow  Birch,  Scales  of,  297  ;  Leaves  of,  309  ;  Strobiles  of,  310 

White  Birch,  Strobiles  of,  298  ;  Fruiting  Branch  of,  299  ;  Trunk  of,  301 

Alder,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  315 

Hop  Hornbeam,  Branch  of,  316;  Fruiting  Spray  of,  317;  Aments  of,  318 

Hornbeam,  Ament  of,  320 ;  Fruiting  Spray  of,  321 

Scarlet  Oak,  Aments  of,  324  ;  Flowers  of,  325 

White  Oak,  Leaf  of,  327  ;  Trunk  of,  329 ;  Fruiting  Spray  of,  331 

Post  Oak,  Leaves  of,  2,2,3  \  Acorn  of,  334 

Bur  Oak,  Acorn  of,  336;  Leaf  of,  -^-yj 

Chestnut  Oak,  Leaves  of,  339  ;  Acorn  of,  340  ;  Trunk  of,  341 

Yellow  Oak,  Leaves  of,  343  ;  Acorn  of,  344 

Chinquapin  Oak,  Leaves  of,  345;  Acorn  of,  346 

Swamp  White  Oak,  Leaves  of,  347  ;  Acorn  of,  348 

Red  Oak.  Leaves  of,  350,  351  ;  Trunk  of,  353 ;  Acorn  of,  354 

Scarlet  Oak,  Aments  of,  324  ;  Flowers  of,  325  ;  Leaves  of,  355  ;  Acorn  of,  357 

Black  Oak,  Leaves  of,  359,  361 ;  Acorn  of,  362 

Spanish  Oak,  Leaves  of,  363  ;  Variant  Leaves  of,  364 ;  Acorns  of,  364 

Pin  Oak,  Acorn  of,  366;  Leaves  of,  367 

Bear  Oak,  Acorn  of,  368  ;  Leaves  of,  369 

Black  Jack,  Leaves  of,  371  ;  Acorn  of,  372 

Shingle  Oak,  Leaves  of,  yjl  \  Acorn  of,  374 

Willow  Oak,  Acorn  of,  375  ;  Leaves  of,  376 

Beech,  Leaves  of,  378  ;  Fruiting  Spray  of,  379  ;  Flowers  of,  380 ;  Flower  Clus- 
ters of,  380  ;  Tree,  3S1 ;  Trunk  of,  385 

Chestnut,  Leaf  of,  387;  Burs  of,  389  ;  Trunk  of,  391 

Willow,  Flowers  of,  394 

Black  Willow,  Staminate  Flower  of,  396;  Pistillate  Flower  of,  396;  Leaves 

of,  397 

Peach  Willow,  Leaves  of,  398 

Shining  Willow,  Leaves  of,  399 

LoNGLEAP^  Willow,  Leaf  of,  400 

Bebb  Willow,  Leaves  of,  402 

Glaucous  Willow,  Leaves  of,  404 

White  Willow,  Leaves  of,  406 

Crack  Willow,  Leaves  of,  407 

Weeping  Willow,  Leaves  of,  411 

Aspen,  Flowers  of,  413  ;  Leaves  of,  415 

Large-toothed  Aspen,  Leaf  of,  417;  Fruiting  Ament  of,  417 

Swamp  Cottonwood,  Leaf  of,  420;  Fruiting  Ament  of,  420 

Balsam,  Leaves  of,  421,  423  ;   Flowers  of,  424  ;   Fruiting  Ament  of,  424 

Cottonwood,  Leaves  of,  427  ;  Winter  Branch  of,  426  ;  Trunk  of,  425 ;  Stam- 
inate Aments  of,  412  ;   Pistillate  Aments  of,  412 

White  Poplar,  Leaves  of,  429  ;  Aments  of,  431,  433 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Lo:.i3ARDY   Poplar,  Leaves  of,  435 

White  Pine,  Leaves  of,  444,  445  ;  Trunk  of,  447  ;  Cone  of,  449 

Red  Pine,  Leaves  of,  45° 

Loblolly  Pine,  Leaves  of,  452 ;  Cone  of,  453 

Pitch  Pine,  Cone  of,  455  ;  Leaves  of,  456 

Jersey  Pine,  Cones  of,  457;  Leaves  of,  4^8 

Yellow  Pine,  Cones  of,  459;  Leaves  of,  458 

Gray  Pine,  Leaves  of,  460;  Cones  of,  461 

Austrian  Pine,  Cone  of,  463 

Scotch  Pine,  Cones  of,  465 

White  Spruce,   Sprays  of,  467 

Red  Spruce,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  468 

Black  Spruce,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  471 

Norway  Spruce,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  475 

Hemlock,  Fruiting  Branch  of,  477 

Tamarack,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  479 

Larch,  Fruiting  Branch  of,  481 

Balsam  Fir,  Leaves  of,  483 

Bald  Cypress,  Leaves  of,  485 

Arborvit^,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  487 

White  Cedar,  Fruiting  Spray  of,  491 

Common  Juniper,  Fruiting  Branch  of,  493 

Red  Cedar,  Fruiting  Branch  of,  495  ;  Leaves  of,  49^ 

Ginkgo,  Spray  of,  501 


GUIDE   TO   THE  TREES 

Leaves  simple — i 
Leaves  compound — 2 

I. — Leaves  alternate — 3 
I. — Leaves  opposite — 4 
3. — Margins  entire — 5 
'  3. — Margins  slightly  indented — 6 
3. — Margins  lobed — 7 

. — Oblong-ovate  or  obovate,  large,  thick The  Magnolias 

.  —Oblong,  sub-evergreen  at  the  south Swamp  Magnolia 

^  \  Rhododendron 

.—Evergreen |  Mountain  Laurel 

.—Obovate,  6'  to  10'  long Papaw 

.—Oblong,  thick,  shining,  3'  to  5'  long Tupelo 

.—Oblong,  tree  occurring  sparingly  at  the  north Persimmon 

.—Heart-shaped Redbud 

. — Leaves  of  three  forms — oval,  two-lobed,  or  three-lobed — 

frequently  all  three  on  one  spray Sassafras 

_,.,,..           -n         u         1  i  Shingle  Oak 

.—Thick,  shmmg,  willow-shaped |  ^^.^y/;;^^  ^^^^, 

. — Thick,  shining,  ovate,  spines  in  the  axils Osage  Orange 

. — Broadly  oval  or  obovate,  veins  prominent,  leaves 

usually  in  clusters  at  the  ends  of  the  branches.  Allernale-leaved 

Dogwood 

6.— Obliquely  heart-shaped The  Lindens 

6.— Obliquely  oval The  Elms 

6.— Obliquely  ovate The  Hackberry 

^       „     ,              .     J     1.1              *  S  l^it'  Birches 

6.-Oval  or  ovate,  doubly  serrate   j  The  Hornbeams 

6.— Repand  with  spiny  teeth Holly 

6. — Coarsely-toothed,  twigs  bearing  thorns The  Thorns 

6. — Of  quivering  habit,  petioles  compressed. ....  The  Poplars 


GUIDE    TO    THE    TREES 

6, — Long,  slender,  finely  serrate The  Willoiv 

6. — Coarsely  crenately-toothed The  Chestnut  Oaks, 

6. — Obovate  or  oval — wavy-toothed Witch  Hazel 

The  Plums 
The  Cherries 
Crab-Apple 

-Serrate \   Soiirwood 

June-berry 
The  Silver-bells 
The  Beeches 
7. — Lobes  entire — 8 
7. — Lobes  slightly  indented — 9 
7. — Lobes  coarsely  toothed — 10 

8. — Apex  truncate,  three-lobed Tulip-tree 

8. — Lobes  and  sinuses  rounded Oaks  {White  Oak  Group) 

8. — Lobes  rounded,  lobes  2  or  3 Sassafras 

8. — Lobed  or  coarsely  toothed,  under  surface  cov- 
ered with  white  down White  Poplar 

9. — Five-lobed,  finely  serrate Sweet  Gum 

9. — Variously  lobed,  irregularly  toothed The  Mulberries 

10. — Irregularly  toothed,  lobes  bristle  pointed.  .  Oaks  {Red  Oak 

Group) 

10. — Leaf  broad,  lobes  coarsely  toothed Sycamore 

4.— Margins  entire — 11 

Tv^r       •                .  \  Sweet  Viburnum 

4.-Margins  serrate \  Black  Haw 

4.  — Margins  lobed The  Maples 

II. — Ovate,  veins  prominent F'lowering  Dogwood 

II. — Heart-shaped,  large The  Catalpas 

1 1 . — Oval Fringe  Tree 

2. — Leaves  pinnately  compound — 12 

2, — Leaves  bi-pinnately  compound — 13 

T                 1^1                     1  S  The  Buckeyes 

2.-Leaves  palmately  compound |  ^./^^  Horse-chestnuts 

12. — Alternate — 14 

12. — Opposite — 15 
14. — Margin  of  leaflets  entire — 16 

14. — Margin  of  leaflets  with  two  or  three  teeth  ^\.h2.SQ..  Ailafithus 

{  The  Siimachs 

T,n       '       c^     a  ^             ^  I    The  Mountain  Ashes 

I4.-Margm  of  leaflets  serrate \^    ^^^^  Walnuts 

I    The  Hickories 

16.^ — Leaflets  oval,  apex  obtuse The  Locusts 

16. — Leaflets  oblong  apex  acute Poison  Siunach 

xxii 


GUIDE    TO   THE    TREES 

i6.  —  Leaflets  oval  or  ovate Cladastris 

16. — Leaflets  ovate — three  in  number ....  Wafer  Ash 

15. — Margin  of  leaflets  entire The  Ashes 

1 5. — Margin  of  leaflets  serrate TJie  Ashes 

15. — Margni  of  leaflets  coarsely  toothed Box  Elder 

13. — Margins  of  leaflets  entire Kentucky  Coffee-tree 

13. — Irregularly  bi-pinnate,  margins  of  leaflets 
entire,  thorns  on  stems  above  the  axils 

of  the  leaves   Honey  Locust 

13. — Margins  of  leaflets  serrate,  stems  s^'my  .Hercules  Club 

Note. — //  must  be  re?nembered  that  the  typical  leaves  of  a  species  are  to 
be  found  up07i  mature  trees,  not  upon  young  ones.  The  leaf- 
lets of  a  cotnpound  leaf  cmi  be  distinguished  frojn  s  mple 
leaves  by  the  absence  of  leaf-buds  from  the  base  of  their  stems. 
No  guide  has  been  prepared  for  the  Conifers,  as  it  is  believed 
the  illustrations  will  be  sufficient. 


SIGNS    USED    IN    THIS    BOOK 

(')  Acute  accent  over  a  vowel  marks  the  short  sound. 
( ^ )  Grave  accent  over  a  vowel  marks  the  long  sound. 
(°)  The  sign  of  degree  is  used  for  feet. 
( ' )  When  used  with  figures  means  inches. 


DICOTYLEDONES 


Flowering  Spray  of  Swamp  Magnolia,  Magnolia  glaiica. 

Leaves  4'  to  6'  long,    \%'  to  2^'  broad.     Flowers  2'  to  3'  across. 


MAGNOLlACEiE— MAGNOLIA    FAMILY 

SWAMP   MAGNOLIA.     SMALL    MAGNOLIA. 
SWEET   BAY 

Magnolia  glauca. 

Magnolia  was  named  by  Linnaeus  in  honor  of  Pierre  Magnol,  an 
eminent  botanist  who  lived  in  the  seventeenth  century.  Glauca, 
glaucous,  refers  to  the  under  surface  of  the  leaf. 

A  small  tree,  nearly  evergreen,  with  slender  trunk.  In  the  Gulf 
States  It  reaches  the  height  of  seventy  feet,  with  a  trunk  two  or  three 
feet  in  diameter,  but  at  the  north  it  is  reduced  to  a  shrub.  Roots 
fleshy.  Prefers  swamps  and  wet  soils.  Ranges  from  Essex  County, 
Massachusetts,  to  Long  Island,  from  New  Jersey  to  Florida,  west 
in  the  Gulf  region  to  Texas. 

Bark. — Light  brown,  scaly  ;  on  young  trees  light  gray,  smooth. 
Branchlets  green  at  first,  downy,  later  reddish  brown  ;  bitter,  aro- 
matic. 

?fW^.— Light  brown  tinged  with  red,  sapwood  cream  -  white. 
Sparingly  used  in  manufactures  at  the  south.  Sp.gr.  0.5035  ;  weight 
of  cu.  ft.,  31.38  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Terete,  pointed,  downy,  formed  of  successive  pairs 
of  stipules,  each  pair  enveloping  the  leaf  just  above.  Flower-bud 
enclosed  in  a  stipular,  caducous  bract. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  feathcr-veincd.  subpersistent,  four  to 
six  inches  long,  one  and  one-half  to  two  and  one-half  inches  broad, 
oblong  or  oval,  rounded  or  pointed  at  base,  entire,  obtuse  at  apex  ; 
midrib  conspicuous.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate,  pale 
green,  covered  with  long  silvery  hairs  ;  when  full  grown  are  a  soft 
leathery  texture,  bright  green,  smooth  and  shining  above,  pale,  glau- 
cous beneath,  sometimes  almost  white.  At  the  north  they  fall  iate 
in  November,  at  the  south  the  leaves  remain  with  little  change  of 
color  until  pushed  off  by  the  new  leaves  in  the  spring.  Petiole  short, 
slender. 


MAGNOLIA   FAMILY 

Flowt-rs.— June.  Perfect,  solitary,  terminal,  cream-white,  fra- 
grant, two  to  three  inches  across  ;  enveloping  bract  thin,  caducous. 

Ca/fx. — Sepals  three,  obtuse,  concave,  shorter  than  the  petals 
but  resembling  them,  cream-white. 

Corolla. — Petals  nine  to  twelve,  in  rows  of  three,  hypogynous,  im- 
bricated in  bud.  cream-white. 

Stamens. — Indefinite,  imbricated  in  rows  upon  the  base  of  the 
long  conical  receptacle  ;  filaments  short;  anthers  adnate,  two-celled, 
introrse  ;  connective  fleshy,  pointed. 

Pistils. — Indefinite,  packed  together  and  covering  the  lengthened 
receptacle,  cohering  with  each  other  and  forming  an  oval  mass. 
Ovaries  fleshy,  one-celled  ;  style  short ;  stigma  long,  yellow,  turned 
back  at  the  top  ;  ovules  two. 

Fruit. — Scarlet  oval  mass  formed  of  the  coalescent  carpels, 
smooth,  two  inches  long,  containing  many  seeds.  Seeds  drupaceous, 
red,  shining,  aromatic.  Suspended  at  maturity  by  a  long  thin  cord 
of  unrolled  spiral  vessels.     September,  October. 

Long  they  sat  and  talked  together,     .     .     . 
Of  the  marvellous  valley  hidden  in  the  depths  of  Gloucester  woods, 
Full  of  plants  that  love  the  summer,  blooms  of  warmer  latitudes, 
Where  the  Arctic  birch  is  braided  by  the  tropic's  flowery  vines, 
And  the  white  magnolia  blossoms  star  the  twilight  of  the  pines. 

—John  G.  Whittier. 

A  sheltered  swamp  near  Cape  Ann  not  far  from  the  sea  is  thought  to  be  the 
most  northern  habitation  of  this  plant  and  until  lately  was  supposed  to  be  the 
only  one  in  Massachusetts.  It  has  recently  been  found  at  the  distance  of  some 
miles  in  another  swamp  in  the  midst  of  deep  woods  in  Essex. 

— George  B.  Emerson. 

Magnolia  trees  are  among  the  finest  productions  of  the 
North  American  forests.  They  are  distinctively  southern 
trees  ;  two  species  alone  are  indigenous  to  the  northern  states, 
and  one  of  these  may  be  looked  upon  rather  as  a  survival,  or 
a  wanderer  which  has  strayed  across  the  border  and  forgotten 
to  return,  than  as  a  resident  to  the  manner  born. 

The  Swamp  Magnolia,  or  Sweet  Bay,  to  the  surprise  of  botan- 
ists IS  found  growdng  naturally  in  a  sheltered  swamp  on  the 
peninsula  of  Cape  Ann.  That  it  can  live  there  in  so  exposed 
a  position  without  protection  from  man,  proves  that  it  can 
live  elsewdiere,  in  a  climate  equally  severe,  wdth  such  protec- 
tion. As  a  matter  of  fact  it  is  fairly  hardy  under  cultivation 
throughout  the  north,  but  its  leaves  are  not  always  evergreen 

4 


SWAMP    MAGNOLIA 

nor  will  it  remain  in  continuous  bloom  throughout  the  sum- 
mer unless  in  a  moist  situation.  It  must  have  water  in  order 
to  do  its  best. 

The  flowers  appear  in  May,  solitary,  at  the  ends  of  the 
branches,  cream-white,  large  as  a  rose  and  fragrant  as  a  lily. 
Under  favorable  conditions  they  will  continue  to  appear 
through  the  greater  part  of  the  summer,  and  the  combination 
of  these  creamy  blossoms  surrounded  by  the  dark  shining 
leaves  is  beautiful  indeed. 

By  midsummer  the  fruit  has  formed,  a  green  oval  mass, 
made  up  of  many  seed-vessels  which  have  grown  together. 
U'hen  ripe  this  becomes  red  and  is  about  two  inches  long.  The 
enclosed  seeds  turn  a  brilliant  scarlet,  and  when  released  from 
their  prison  walls  hang  down  for  awdiile  on  their  slender  white 
threads,  and  finally  fall  to  the  ground  or  are  eaten  by  birds. 
In  taste  they  are  aromatic,  pungent,  and  slightly  bitter. 

This  charming  little  tree  has  a  variety  of  common  names, 
referring  to  its  size  or  its  habitat  or  its  individual  characteris- 
tics. Among  these  names  is  Beaver-\vood,  given  because  the 
fleshy  roots  were  eagerly  eaten  by  the  beavers,  who  consid- 
ered them  such  a  dainty  that  they  could  be  caught  in  traps 
baited  with  them.  Michaux  relates  that  the  wood  \vas  used 
by  the  beavers  in  constructing  their  dams  and  houses  in  pref- 
erence to  any  other. 

The  tree  is  easily  propagated  by  layers  which,  however, 
root  slowly  ;  but  the  preferred  method  is  to  graft  it  upon  a 
root  of  the  Cucumber-tree,  M.  acuminata^  where  it  makes  a 
stronger  grow^th  than  upon  its  own  roots.  To  obtain  plants 
from  the  seeds  they  should  be  preserved  in  moist  earth  and 
sown  very  early  in  the  spring  in  a  moist  situation. 

Mdj^nolta  iripetala^  the  Umbrella-tree,  frequently  planted  on 
northern  lawns,  is  a  southern  species  ranging  from  Pennsyl- 
vania to  the  Gulf.  It  may  be  easily  recognized  by  its  great 
leaves,  twelve  to  eighteen  inches  long,  and  four  to  eight  inches 
broad.  These  radiate  from  the  ends  of  the  branches  in  such 
a  way  as  to  suggest  an  open  umbrella,  whence  its  common 
name.     Often  it  sprawls,  a  straggling  bush.     The  huge,  ter- 

5 


MAGNOLIA   FAMILY 

minal,  cream-white  blossoms  appear  in  May.  They  are  from 
eight  to  ten  inches  across  and  exhale  a  disagreeable  odor. 
The  name  tripetala  refers  to  the  three  petaloid  sepals. 

The  Magnolia  shrubs  found  in  northern  gardens  whose 
great  white  or  pink  flowers  appear  before  the  leaves  are  of 
Chinese  or  Japanese  origin. 

The  science  of  Paleobotany  is  fragmentary  as  yet,  but 
enough  is  already  known  to  give  us  a  wonderful  outlook  into 
the  life  history  of  our  common  plants.  It  is  evident  that  im- 
mediately preceding  the  glacial  period  the  polar  regions  were 
not  covered  with  ice,  but  sustained  a  rich  growth  of  vegeta- 
tion, and  plants  flourished  there  which  are  now  known  only  in 
warmer  countries.  The  genus  Magnolia  to-day  is  sub-tropi- 
cal. Its  species  are  found  only  in  southeastern  North  America, 
southern  Mexico,  and  southern  Asia.  But  the  scientists  tell 
us  that  once  it  flourished  abundantly  throughout  America 
and  Europe,  and  its  fossil  remains  are  found  in  the  tertiary 
rocks  of  Greenland  and  elsewhere  within  the  arctic  circle. 

Professor  G.  Frederick  Wright,  in  *'  The  Ice  Age  in  North 
America,"  admirably  presents  the  latest  opinion  in  regard  to 
the  flight  of  the  forests.  He  writes  as  follows  :  "  The  key 
applied  by  Professor  Gray  for  the  solution  of  this  problem 
was  suggested  by  the  investigations  of  Heer  and  others,  wdiich 
had  just  brought  out  the  fact  that,  during  the  Tertiary  period, 
just  before  the  beginning  of  the  Ice  Age,  a  temperate  climate, 
corresponding  to  that  of  latitude  35°  on  the  Atlantic  coast, 
extended  far  up  toward  the  North  Pole,  permitting  Green- 
land and  Spitzbergen  to  be  covered  with  trees  and  plants 
similar  in  most  respects  to  those  found  at  the  present  time 
in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina.  Here,  indeed,  in  close  prox- 
imity to  the  North  Pole,  were  then  residing  in  harmony  and 
contentment,  the  ancestors  of  nearly  all  the  plants  and  ani- 
mals which  are  now  found  in  the  north  temperate  zone,  and 
here  they  would  have  continued  to  stay  but  for  the  cold 
breath  of  the  approaching  Ice  Age,  which  drove  them  from 
their  homes,  and  compelled  them  to  migrate  to  more  hospita- 
ble latitudes. 

6 


UMBRELLA-TREE 


Unibrelhi-lree,  Ma^^iiolia  tnpi'tala 

Leaves   12'  to   18'  long,  4'  to  8'  broad. 


? 


MAGNOLIA   FAMILY 

"  The  picture  of  the  flight  and  dispersal  of  these  forests,  and 
of  their  struggle  to  find  and  adjust  themselves  to  other  homes, 
is  second  in  interest  to  that  of  no  other  migration.     A  single 


!■ 


GEOLOGICAL 

GYMNO- 
SPERMS 

ANGIO- 
SPERMS 

FORMATIONS 

Conifers 

Cycads 

Monocoty 
ledons 

Dicoty- 
ledons 

QUATERNARY 

Recent 

1 

II 

Glacial   Epoch 

1 

TERTIARY 

Pliocene 

1 

Miocene 

II 

— 

f 

Eocene 

r  1 

MESOZOIC 

Cretaceous 

r 

Jurassic 

! 

Triassic 

■ 

T 

PAL/tOZOIC     \ 

i 

Carboniferous 

f 

T 

Devonian 

I 

Silurian 

ARCH/EAN 

^^^VTiW^viin 

Chart  Showing  the  Development  of  Vegetation  during  the  Geological  Ages. 


tree  is  helpless  before  such  a  force  as  an  advancing  glacier, 
since  a  tree  alone  cannot  migrate.  But  a  forest  of  trees  can. 
Trees  can  "take  to  the  woods"  when  they  can  do  nothing 

8 


CUCUMBER-TREE 

else,  and  so  escape  unfavorable  conditions.  There  is  a  natu- 
ral climatic  belt  to  which  the  life  of  a  forest  is  adjusted.  In 
the  present  instance,  as  the  favorable  conditions  near  the 
poles  were  disturbed  by  the  cooling  influences  of  the  glacier 
approaching  from  the  north,  the  individual  trees  on  that  side 
of  the  forest  belt  gradually  perished  ;  but  at  the  same  time 
that  the  favorable  conditions  of  life  were  contracting  on  the 
north,  they  were  expanding  on  the  south,  so  that  along  the 
southern  belt  the  trees  could  gradually  advance  into  new 
territory,  and  so  the  whole  forest  belt  move  southward,  fol- 
lowing the  conditions  favorable  to  its  existence.  It  is  there- 
fore easy  to  conceive  how,  with  the  slow  advance  of  the  gla- 
cial conditions  from  the  north,  the  vegetation  of  Greenland 
and  British  America  was  transferred  far  down  toward  the 
torrid  zone  on  both  the  Eastern  and  Western  continent. 
Being  thus  transferred,  the  forest  would  be  compelled  to  re- 
main there  until  the  retreat  of  the  ice  began  again  to  modify 
the  conditions  so  as  to  compel  a  corresponding  retreat  of 
plants  toward  their  original  northern  habitat.  Thus  it  is  that 
these  descendants  of  the  pre-glacial  plants  of  Greenland,  ar- 
rested in  their  northward  march,  have  remained  the  character- 
istic flora  of  the  latitudes  near  the  glacial  boundary." 


CUCUMBER-TREE.     MOUNTAIN   MAGNOLIA 

Jl/(7{^/w/i(r  acuminata. 

Aciuninata  refers  to  the  pointed  apex  of  the  leaves. 

Of  two  forms  ;  in  the  forest  it  rises  to  the  height  of  ninety  feet 
with  sturdy  unbroken  trunk  for  two-thirds  its  height ;  when  allowed 
sufficient  space  to  develop,  it  becomes  a  cone  with  branches  that 
sweep  the  ground.  Prefers  a  moist,  fertile  soil,  but  will  grow  on 
rocky  river-banks.  Roots  fleshy.  Ranges  from  western  New  York 
to  southern  Illinois,  south  through  central  Kentucky  and  Tennessee 
to  Alabama,  and  throughout  Arkansas. 

Bark. — Brown,  regularly  furrowed  and  scaly,  l^ranchlcts  slender, 
red  brown,  downy,  later  becoming  gray. 


MAGNOLIA    FAMILY 

Wood. — Light  yellow  brown,  sapwood  almost  white  ;  light,  soft, 
satiny,  close-grained  and  durable.  Sp.  gr,,  0.4690;  weight  of  cu. 
ft.,  29.23  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Terete,  acute,  downy.  Terminal  bud  an  inch 
long.  Outer  scales  fall  when  spring  growth  begins,  inner  scales  en- 
large and  become  the  stipules  of  the  unfolding  leaves.  Flower-bud 
enclosed  in  a  stipular,  caducous  bract. 

Leaves. — Alternate  or  scattered,  simple,  feather-veined,  seven  to 
fourteen  inches  long,  four  to  six  broad,  oblong,  pointed  or  rounded 
at  base,  entire,  slightly  ruffled  at  margin,  acute  ;  midrib  and  primary 
veins  prominent  beneath.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate, 
green,  covered  with  long  silky  hairs  ;  when  full  grown  are  bright 
deep  green,  smooth  above,  paler  and  slightly  downy  beneath.  In 
autumn  they  turn  a  bright  yellow.  Petioles  an  inch  to  an  inch  and 
a  half  long. 

Flowers. — May,  June.  Perfect,  solitary,  terminal,  bell-shaped, 
greenish  yellow,  three  to  four  inches  across. 

Calyx. — Sepals  three,  greenish  yellow,  acute,  an  inch  to  an  inch 
and  a  half  long,  soon  reflexed. 

Corolla. — Petals  six,  in  two  rows,  greenish  yellow,  imbricate  in 
bud,  hypogynous,  obovate,  concave,  acute,  two  to  three  inches  long; 
inner  row  narrower  than  outer. 

Stajuens. — Indefinite,  imbricated  in  many  rows  on  the  base  of  the 
receptacle ;  filaments  short  ;  anthers  long,  adnate,  introrse,  two- 
celled  ;  connective  pointed. 

Pistils. — Indefinite,  imbricated  on  the  lengthened  receptacles. 
Ovaries  fleshy,  one-celled  ;  style  short,  recurved  ;  ovules  two. 

Fruit. — A  red  cylindrical  mass  composed  of  coalescent  carpels, 
smooth,  two  to  three  inches  long,  often  curved,  containing  many 
scarlet  drupaceous  seeds,  which  when  released  hang  down  on  slender 
white  threads.     September,  October. 

The  struggle  for  life  among  the  trees  of  the  forest  is  quite 
as  keen,  the  conflict  as  pitiless,  and  death  to  the  weakest 
quite  as  certain,  as  in  the  higher  ranks  of  life.  The  survival 
of  the  fittest  is  the  law  of  the  wildwood  as  well  as  of  the 
creatures  who  live  beneath  its  protecting  cover.  There  is 
just  so  much  space  below,  and  just  so  much  light  above  to  be 
appropriated,  and  roots  that  car/  dig  deepest  and  hold  tight- 
est, trunks  that  can  rise  the  highest  and  then  spread  out  their 
branches  and  bear  their  leaves  into  the  air  and  sunlight  have 
the  best  chance  to  survive.  There  is  no  time  to  loiter  and 
grow  fat,  there  is  no  time  to  indulge  in  the  luxury  of  branches. 
Upward  is  the  cry,  and  the  race  is  given  to  the  strong,  not  to 

10 


CUCUMBER-TREE 


Cucumber-tree,  Magnolia  acuminata. 
Leaves  7'  to  14'  long,  4'  to  6'  broad. 


MAGNOLIA   FAMILY 


the  weak.  All  trees  that  live  in  the  forest  learn  this  lesson, 
and  this  is  the  explanation  of  the  well-known  fact  that  in  or- 
der to  find  out  what  the  actual  typical  form  of  a  tree  really 
is,  one  must  see  it  growing  alone  with  ample  space  to  develop 
after  the  law  of  its  nature. 

No  tree  shows  the  difference  between  free  life  and  forest 


Trunk  of  t 


life  more  clearly  than  the  Cucumber,  for  it  takes  on  two  dis- 
tinctly characteristic  forms  dependent  upon  its  location.  An 
individual  which  has  attained  its  growth  in  the  forest  rises 
straight  as  a  column  to  the  height  of  thirty,  forty,  or  fifty 
feet  without  a  branch.  When,  however,  a  seedling  starts  in 
a  clearing,  or  a  sucker  grows  up  from  a  decaying  stump,  the 

X?. 


CUCUMBER-TREE 

entire    habit    is   changed  ;    the  branches   start    low,  become 
pendent,  and  by  the  time  the  tree  is  thirty  feet  high,  the  ends 

of  the  lower  branches  sweep  the 

orround,  makins^  the  contour  a 

^^^M^  beautiful    cone,    and    beneath 

the    branches    a    perfect    tent. 


Flowering  Branch  of  Cucumber-tree,  Mai^nolia   acuminata. 


Such  a  tree  having  its  branches  tipped  with  pink  fruit  pre- 
sents in  September  a  unique  and  striking  appearance. 

The  spray  of  the  Cucumber,  like  that  of  all  large-leaved 
trees,  is  coarse.  The  effect  of  the  foliage,  however,  is  singu- 
larly fine,  for  the  leaves  are  of  a  clear 
bright  green,  arranged  alternately 
along  the  branch  and  short  petioled, 
so  that  they  have  little  independent 
motion,  and  the  branch  sways  as  a 
whole  when  moved  by  the  wind. 

The  flowers  are  not  so  beautiful  nor 
so  conspicuous  as  those  of  the  other 
magnolias,  for  their  greenish  yellow 
color  causes  them  virtually  to  be  lost 
among  the  leaves. 

The  fruit  is  a  cylinder-shaped  bunch 
borne  at  the  end  of  llic  hrancli,  with  a 
tendency  as  it  matures  to  turn  up.  When 

green  this  somewhat  resembles  a  cucumber,  whence  the  name 
of  the  tree.     In   September  the   little   cucumber  turns  pink, 

13 


Cucumber-tree  Fruit  Discharg- 
ing its  Seed. 


MAGNOLIA   FAMILY 

finally  the  red  berries  within  break  through  the  skin  of  the 
covering,  hang  for  a  time  on  long  white  threads,  and  at  length 
become  food  for  birds.  Within  the  red  pulp  is  a  shining  black 
seed.  Both  fruit  and  bark  are  aromatic  and  somewhat  bitter. 
The  Cucumber  loves  the  mountain-side,  the  narrow  valley, 
and  the  banks  of  streams,  an  atmosphere  constantly  moist,  a 
soil  deep  and  fertile.  It  is  a  magnificent  tree  for  lawn  plant- 
ing, and  thrives  with  but  little  attention.  The  only  objection 
that  can  be  urged  against  it  is  its  tendency  to  drop  its  leaves 
more  or  less  throughout  the  summer. 


TULIP-TREE.  YELLOW  POPLAR 

Liriodendron  tuVpifera. 

Liriodendron,  from  two  Greek  words  meaning  lily  and  tree. 
TuUpifcra,  tulip-bearing. 

One  of  the  largest  and  most  beautiful  of  our  natives  trees,  known 
to  reach  the  height  of  one  hundred  and  ninety  feet,  with  a  trunk  ten 
feet  in  diameter  ;  its  ordinary  height,  seventy  to  one  hundred  feet. 
Found  sparingly  in  New  England,  abundant  on  the  southern  shore  of 
Lake  Erie  and  westward  to  Illinois.  It  extends  south  to  Alabama  and 
Georgia,  and  is  rare  west  of  the  Mississippi  River.  Prefers  deep, 
rich,  and  rather  moist  soil ;  is  common,  though  not  abundant,  nor  is 
it  solitary.  Roots  fleshy.  Growth  fairly  rapid.  Typical  form  of 
head  conical. 

Bark. — Brown,  furrowed  ;  branchlets  smooth,  lustrous,  reddish  at 
first,  later  dark  gray,  finally  brown.     Aromatic  and  bitter. 

Wood. — Light  yellow  to  brown,  sapwood  creamy  white  ;  light,  soft, 
brittle,  close,  straight-grained.  Used  for  interior  finish  of  houses, 
for  siding,  for  panels  of  carriages,  for  coffin  boxes,  pattern  timber,  and 
wooden  ware.  On  account  of  the  growing  scarcity  of  the  better 
qualities  of  white  pine,  tulip  wood  is  taking  its  place  to  some  extent, 
particularly  when  very  wide  boards  are  required.  Sp.  gr. ,0.4230; 
weight  of  cu.  ft.,  26.36  lbs. 

Winter  Bmis. — Dark  red,  covered  with  a  bloom,  obtuse  ;  scales 
becoming  conspicuous  stipules  for  the  unfolding  leaf,  and  persistent 
until  the  leaf  is  fully  grown.  Flower-bud  enclosed  in  a  two-valved, 
caducous  bract. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  feather-veined,  five  to  six  inches  long, 
as   many   broad,  four-lobed,  heart-shaped    or   truncate  or   slightly 

14 


TULIP-TREE 


Tulip-tree,  Liriodendron  titlipifera. 

Leaves  5'  to  6'  long. 


MAGNOLIA   FAMILY 

wedge-shaped  at  base,  entire,  and  the  apex  cut  across  at  a  shallow 
angle,  making  the  upper  part  of  the  leaf  look  square  ;  midrib  and 
primary  veins  prominent.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  recurved  by 
the  bending  down  of  the  petiole  near  the  middle  bringing  the  apex 
of  the  folded  leaf  to  the  base  of  the  bud,  light  green,  when  full  grown 
are  bright  green,  smooth  and  shining  above,  paler  green  beneath, 
with  downy  veins.  In  autumn  they  turn  a  clear,  bright  yellow.  Peti- 
ole long,  slender,  angled. 

F/o^ae/'s.—May.  Perfect,  solitary,  terminal,  greenish  yellow, 
borne  on  stout  peduncles,  an  inch  and  a  half  to  two  inches  long,  cup- 
shaped,  erect,  conspicuous.  The  bud  is  enclosed  in  a  sheath  of  two 
triangular  bracts  which  fall  as  the  blossom  opens. 

Calyx. — Sepals  three,  imbricate  in  bud,  reflexed  or  spreading, 
somewhat  veined,  early  deciduous. 

Corolla. — Cup-shaped,  petals  six,  two  inches  long,  in  two  rows, 
imbricate,  hypogynous,  greenish  yellow,  marked  toward  the  base 
with  yellow.     Somewhat  fleshy  in  texture. 

Stamens. — Indefinite,  imbricate  in  many  ranks  on  the  base  of  the 
receptacle  ;  filaments  thread-like,  short ;  anthers  extrorse,  long,  two- 
celled,  adnate  ;  cells  opening  longitudinally. 

Pistils, — Indefinite,  imbricate  on  the  long  slender  receptacle. 
Ovary  one-celled  ;  style  acuminate,  flattened  ;  stigma  short,  one- 
sided, recurved ;  ovules  two. 

Fruit. — Narrow  light  brown  cone,  formed  by  many  samara-like 
carpels  which  fall,  leaving  the  axis  persistent  all  winter.  September, 
October. 

■  Different  species  of  trees  move  their  leaves  very  differently.  On  the  tulip- 
tree,  the  aspen  and  on  all  native  poplars,  the  leaves  are  apparently  Anglo-Saxon 
or  Germanic,  having  an  intense  individualism.  Each  one  moves  to  suit  himself. 
Under  the  same  wind  one  is  trilling  up  and  down,  another  is  whirling,  another 
slowly  vibrating  right  and  left,  still  others  are  quieting  themselves  to  sleep. 
Sometimes  other  trees  have  single  frisky  leaves,  but  usually  the  oaks,  maples, 
and  beeches  have  community  of  interest.  They  are  all  active  together  or  all 
alike  still.  — Henkv  W.^rd  Beecher. 

The  U'ulip-tree  has  impressed  itself  upon  popular  attention 
in  many  ways,  and  consequently  has  many  common  names. 
\n  the  western  states  it  is  called  a  poplar  largely  because  of 
the  fluttering  habit  of  its  leaves,  ire  which  it  resembles  trees 
of  that  genus  ;  the  color  of  its  wood  gives  it  the  name  White- 
wood  ;  the  Indians  so  habitually  made  their  dugout  canoes 
of  its  trunk  that  the  early  settlers  of  the  west  called  it  Canoe- 
wood  ;  and  the  resemblance  of  its  flowers  to  tulips. named  it 
the  Tulip-tree. 

The  Tulip-tree  in  the  forest  reaches  a  size  that  may  be 

i6 


TULIP-TREE 


Unfolding  Leaves  of  Tulip-tree. 


properly  called  magnificent,  for  it  rises  to  the  height  of  one 
hundred  and  ninety  feet.  The  Tulip-tree,  however,  standing 
alone  attains  its  finest 
development.  The 
trunk  rises  like  a  Co- 
rinthian column,  tall 
and  slender,  the 
branches  come  out 
symmetrically,  and  the 
whole  contour  of  the 
tree,  though  somewhat 
formal,  possesses  a  cer- 
tain stately  elegance. 

The  leaves  are  of 
unusual  shape  and  de- 
velop in  a  most  pe- 
culiar and  character- 
istic manner.  The  leaf-buds  are  composed  of  scales  as  is 
usual,  and  these  scales  grow  with  the  growing  shoot.  In 
this  respect  the  buds  do  not  differ  from  those  of  many  other 
trees,  but  what  is  peculiar  is  that  each  pair  of  scales  devel- 
ops so  as  to  form  an  oval  en- 
velop which  contains  the  young 
leaf  and  protects  it  against 
changing  temperatures  until  it 
is  strong  enough  to  sustain 
them  without  injury.  When  it 
has  reached  that  stage  the 
bracts  separate,  the  tiny  leaf 
comes  out  carefully  folded 
along  the  line  of  the  midrib, 
opens  as  it  matures,  and  until 
it  becomes  full  grown  the 
bracts  do  duty  as  stipules,  be- 
coming an  inch  or  more  in 
length  before  they  fall.  The  leaf  is  unique  in  shape,  its  apex 
is  cut  off  at  the  end  in  a  way  peculiarly  its  own,  the  petioles 

17 


Flower  of  Tulip-tree. 


MAGNOLIA   FAMILY 


are  long,  angled,  and  so  poised  that  the  leaves  flutter  inde- 
pendently, and  their  glossy  surfaces  so  catch  and  toss  the 
light  that  the  effect  of  the  foliage  as  a  whole  is  much  brighter 
than  it  otherwise  would  be. 

The  flowers  are  large,  brilliant,  and  on  detached  trees  nu- 
merous.    Their  color  is  greenish  yellow  with  dashes  of  red 
and    orange,  and    their    resemblance   to    a 
tulip  very   marked.     They    do    not    droop 
from  the  spray  but  sit  erect. 

The  fruit  is  a  cone  two  to  three  inches 
long,  made  of  a  great  number  of  thin  nar- 
row scales  attached  to  a  common  axis. 
These  scales  are  each  a  carpel  surrounded 
by  a  thin  membranous  ring.  Each  cone 
contains  sixty  or  seventy  of  these  scales, 
of  which  only  a  few  are  productive.  Lou- 
don says  that  seeds  from  the  highest 
branches  of  old  trees  are  most  likely  to 
germinate.  These  fruit  cones  remain  on 
the  tree  in  varied  states  of  dilapidation 
throughout  the  winter. 
The  Tulip  is  never  abundant  in  the  sense  that  oaks  and 
beeches  and  ashes  are  abundant,  because  it  delights  only  in 
deep,  loamy,  and  extremely  fertile  soils,  such  as  the  bottom- 
lands of  rivers  and  borders  of  swamps.  Its  finest  develop- 
ment is  in  the  valleys  of  the  rivers  flowing  into  the  Ohio.  It 
is  recommended  as  a  shade-tree,  especially  for  the  cities 
where  bituminous  coal  is  burned. 

The  wood  of  the  Tulip  is  known  in  the  arts  as  the  poplar 
and  the  whitewood.  Mechanics  \vho  use  it  have  divided  it 
into  the  white  and  yellow  poplar,  judging  from  the  color  and 
texture  of  the  wood.  There  seem  to  be  no  botanic  distinc- 
tions sufficiently  constant  upon  which  to  base  a  variety,  and 
the  difference  is  believed  to  depend  ur^on  the  character  of 
the  soil. 

The  tree  grows  readily  from  seeds,  which  should  be  sown 
in  a  fine  soft  mould,  and  in  a  cool  and  shady  situation.     If 

i8 


Fruit  Cone  of  Tulip- 
tree. 


TULIP-TREE 

sown  in  autumn  they  come  up  the  succeeding  sprmg,  but  if 
sown  in  spring  they  often  remain  a  year  in  the  ground.  It 
is  readily  propagated  by  cuttings  and  easily  transplanted. 

The  Liriodendron  is  now  a  genus  of  a  single  species.  In 
the  cretaceous  age  the  genus  was  represented  by  several  spe- 
cies, and  was  widely  distributed  over  North  America  and 
Europe.  Its  remains  are  also  found  in  the  tertiary  rocks. 
One  species  alone  survived  the  glacial  ice,  and  this  is  found 
only  in  eastern  North  America  and  western  China — the  well- 
known  Tulip-tree  of  the  western  states. 


TQ 


ANNONACE.E— CUSTARD-APPLE    FAMILY 

PAPAW 

^  sim  in  a  t)  -ilo  ba . 

Asiviina  is  formed  from  Asiminier,  an  early  colonial  name  used 
by  the  French  for  this  tree.  Its  meaning  is  in  doubt.  Triloba 
refers  to  the  blossom. 

A  small  tree,  often  a  shrub.  Its  northern  limit  is  the  western 
part  of  New  York,  is  abundant  on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie. 
Occurs  in  eastern  and  central  Pennsylvania,  west  as  far  as  Michi- 
gan and  Kansas  and  south  to  Florida  and  Texas.  Rare  east  of  the 
Alleghany  Mountains,  but  in  the  low  lands  bordering  the  Missis- 
sippi River  often  forming  dense  thickets.  Trunk  straight,  branches 
slender  and  spreading.  Roots  fleshy  ;  loves  rich  bottom  lands  and 
sometimes  attains  the  height  of  thirty  feet. 

Bark. — Dark  brown,  blotched  with  gray  spots,  sometimes  covered 
with  small  excrescences,  divided  by  shallow  fissures.  Inner  bark 
tough,  fibrous.  Branchlets  light  brown,  tinged  with  red,  marked  by 
shallow  grooves. 

Wood. — Pale,  greenish  yellow,  sapwood  lighter;  light,  soft, 
coarse-grained  and  spongy.  Sp.  gr.,  0.3969;  weight  of  cu.  ft., 
24.74  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Small,  brown,  acuminate,  hairy. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  feather-veined,  obovate-lanceolate, 
ten  to  twelve  inches  long,  four  to  five  broad,  wedge-shaped  at  base, 
entire,  acute  at  apex  ;  midrib  and  primary  veins  prominent.  They 
come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate,  green,  covered  with  rusty  tomen- 
tum  beneath,  hairy  above  ;  when  full  grown  are  smooth,  dark  green 
above,  paler  beneath.      In  autumn  they  are  a  rusty  yellow. 

Petioles  short,  stout.     Stipules  wanting. 

Flowers. — April,  with  the  leaves.  Perfect,  solitary,  axillary,  rich 
red  purple,  two  inches  across,  borne  on  stout,  hairy  peduncles.  Ill 
smelling. 

so 


PAPAW 


I'apaw,  Asuiiiiia  triloba. 
Leaves  u/  to  la'  long.  4'  to  s'  broad. 


CUSTARD-APPLE    FAMILY 

Calyx. — Sepals  three,  valvate  in  bud,  ovate,  acuminate,  pale 
green,  downy. 

Corolla.  —  Petals  six,  in  two  rows,  imbricate  in  the  bud.  Inner 
row  acute,  erect,  nectariferous.  Outer  row  broadly  ovate,  reflexed 
at  maturity.  Petals  at  first  are  green,  then  brown,  and  finally  be- 
come dull  purple  and  conspicuously  veiny. 

Stamens. —  Indefinite,  densely  packed  on  the  globular  receptacle. 
Filaments  short  ;  anthers  extrorse,  two-celled,  opening  longitudi- 
nally. 

yVj-//A.  — Several,  on  the  summit  of  the  receptacle,  projecting 
from  the  mass  of  stamens.  Ovary  one-celled  ;  stigma  sessile  ;  ovules 
many. 

Fruit. — Baccate,  oblong,  cylindrical,  fleshy,  from  three  to  five 
inches  long.  Sometimes  curved  or  irregular  because  of  imperfect 
development  of  seeds.  Edible.  Seeds  flat,  oblong,  roui-wded  at 
ends,  an  inch  long,  half  an  inch  broad,  wrinkled.  September,  Oc- 
tober.    Cotyledons  broad,  five-Iobed. 

One  of  two  things  a  forest  tree  must  do,  it  must  be  able  to 
reach  the  top  and  so  enjoy  the  air  and  sunlight,  or  it  must 
learn  to  grow  in  the  shade.  The  Papaw  has  elected  to  grow 
in  the  shade.  In  its  chosen  home,  which  is  the  rich  bottom 
lands  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  it  often  forms  a  dense  under- 
growth in  the  forest ;  sometimes  it  succeeds  in  obtaining 
complete  possession  of  a  tract,  and  there  it  appears  as  a 
thicket  of  small  slender  trees,  whose  great  leaves  are  borne 
so  close  together  at  the  ends  of  the  branches,  and  which  cover 
each  other  so  symmetrically,  that  the  effect  is  to  give  a  pe- 
culiar imbricated  appearance  to  the  tree. 
The  blossom  is  interesting  rather  than 
beautiful.  It  appears  with  the  leaves,  and 
at  first  is  green  as  the  leaves,  but  as  the 
days  go  by  it  increases  in  size,  darkens  in 
color,  and  by  way  of  greenish  brown  and 
brownish  green  it  arrives  finally  at  a  rich, 
dark,  vinous  red.  Part  of  the  petals  are 
honey  laden,  erect,  gathered  close  about 
Flower  of  Papaw.  the  stamcus  and  pistils,  and  the  others  are 
open,  spreading,  finally  reflexed.  The 
flower  appeals  to  the  scent,  the  sight,  and  the  taste,  of  the 
vagrant  fly  and  the  wandering  bee. 

22 


PAPAW 


The  fruit  is  an  unusual  one  for  northern  forests.  The 
early  settlers  called  the  tree  Papaw  because  of  the  resem- 
blance of  its  fruit  to  the  real  papaw  of  the 
tropics  ;  it  certainly  suggests  a  banana. 
It  is  oblong  in  shape,  nearly  cylindrical, 
rounded,  sometimes  pointed  at  the  ends, 
more  or  less  curved  and  often  irregular  in 
outline  ;  the  flesh  is  yellow  and  soft  ;  the 
seeds  flat  and  wrinkled.  Ripening  in  Sep- 
tember and  October,  it  is  frequently  found 
in  the  markets  of  western  and  southern 
cities,  and  although  credited  in  the  books 
as  edible  and  wholesome,  one  must  be 
either  very  young  or  very  hungry  really 
to  enjoy  its  flavor. 

The  Asimina  is  the  only  genus  of  the  great  Custard-Apple 
family  found  outside  of  the  tropics,  and  the  Papaw  is  the 
most  northern  species  of  the  genus. 


Fruit   of  Papaw,   3'  to  5' 
long. 


2-X 


TILIACEtE— LINDEN    FAMILY 

LINDEN.     BASSWOOD.     LIME-TREE 

Tilia  americana. 

Tilia  is  the  ancient  classical  name  retained  by  Linnaeus.      Bass- 
wood  alludes  to  the  use  of  the  inner  bark  for  mats  and  cordage. 

A  native  of  rich  woods  in  the  northern  states  and  Canada,  reaches 
its  greatest  size  in  the  valley  of  the  lower  Ohio,  becoming  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  feet  in  height,  but  its  usual  height  is  about  seventy 
feet.  The  trunk  is  erect,  pillar-like,  the  branches  spreading,  often 
pendulous,  forming  a  broad  rounded  head.  Roots  large,  deep,  and 
spreading.     Juices  mucilaginous. 

Bark. — Light  brown,  furrowed,  surface  scaly.  Branchlets  terete, 
smooth,  light  gray,  faintly  tinged  with  red,  finally  dark  brown  or 
brownish  gray,  marked  with  dark  wart-like  excrescences.  Inner 
bark  very  tough  and  fibrous. 

Wood. — Pale  brown,  sometimes  nearly  white  or  faintly  tinged  with 
red  ;  light,  soft  with  fine  close  grain  ;  clear  of  knots  but  does  not 
split  easily.  It  is  sold  generally  under  the  name  of  basswood,  but 
is  sometimes  confounded  with  tulip-wood  and  then  called  white- 
wood,  and  is  largely  used  in  the  manufacture  of  wooden-ware,  wagon 
boxes  and  furniture.  Sp.  gr.,  0.4525  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  28.20  lbs. 
"  'Winter  Buds. — Dark  red,  stout,  ovate,  acute,  smooth. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  feather  -  veined,  obliquely  heart- 
shaped,  the  side  nearest  the  branch  the  largest,  five  to  six  inches 
long,  three  to  four  inches  broad,  unequally  cordate  at  base,  serrate, 
acuminate  at  apex  ;  midrib  and  primary  veins  conspicuous.  They 
come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate,  pale  green,  downy  ;  when  full 
grown  are  dark  green,  smooth,  shining  above,  paler  beneath,  with 
tufts  of  rusty  brown  hairs  in  the  axils  of  the  primary  veins.  In 
autumn  they  turn  a  clear  pale  yellow.  Petioles  long,  slender.  Stipules 
caducous. 

24 


LINDEN 


Linden,  Ttlia  americana. 
Leaf  5'  to  0'  long,  5'  to  4'  broad.     Fruit  half-grown. 


LINDEN    FAMILY 

Flowers. — June,  July.  Perfect,  regular,  yellowish  white,  fragrant, 
nectariferous,  downy,  borne  in  cymous  clusters,  pendulous,  with  the 
flower-stalk  attached  for  half  its  length  to  the  vein  of  an  oblong  leaf- 
like bract  as  long  as  itself.  Flower  buds  densely  coated  with  white 
tomentum  ;  bract  pointed  at  base. 

Calyx. — Sepals  five,  lanceolate,  valvate  in  bud,  hypogynous, 
downy  within,  hairy  without. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  imbricate  in  bud,  hypogynous,  alternate  with 
the  sepals,  spatulate-oblong,  creamy  white. 

Stamens. — Numerous,  polyadelphous  ;  filaments  thread  -  like, 
forked,  collected  into  five  clusters,  with  a  petaloid  scale  placed  op- 
posite each  petal ;   anthers  fixed  by  the  middle,  two-celled,  extrorse. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  five-celled  ;  style  erect  ;  stigma  five- 
lobed  ;  ovules  two  in  each  cell. 

Fruit — Nut-like,  woody,  tomentose,  gray,  ovoid  or  spherical, 
clustered  on  a  long  stem,  about  the  size  of  peas.     October. 

Oh,  who  upon  earth  could  ever  cut  down  a  Linden  ? 

— Walter  Savage  Landor. 

The  Linden  is  to  be  recommended  as  an  ornamental  tree 
when  a  mass  of  foliage  or  a  deep  shade  is  desired  ;  no  native 
tree  surpasses  it  in  this  respect.  It  is  often  planted  on  the 
windward  side  of  an  orchard  as  a  protection  to  young  and 
delicate  trees.  Its  sturdy  trunk  stands  like  a  pillar  and  the 
branches  divide  and  subdivide  into  numerous  ramifications 
on  which  the  spray  is  small  and  thick.  In  summer  this  is 
profusely  clothed  with  large  leaves  and  the  result  is  a  dense 
head  of  abundant  foliage. 

In  winter  a  branch  of  the  Linden  may  be  recognized  by  its 
deep  red  buds  ;  and  the  delicate  leaves  which  burst  from 
them  in  the  spring  are  a  vivid  green.  Tennyson,  who  saw  so 
many  of  the  hidden  beauties  of  nature,  did  not  fail  to  observe 
this,  as  -. 

A  million  emeralds  break  from  the  ruby-budded  lime. 

Tne  characteristics  of  the  linden  family  are  the  same 
whether  the  individual  tree  grows  in  America,  Europe,  or 
Asia.  The  wood  is  ligbt,  soft,  tough,  and  durable.  This 
makes  it  valuable  in  the  manufacture  of  wooden-ware,  cheap 
furniture,  bodies  of   carriages  ;  it  is   also  especially  adapted 

26 


LINDEN 


for  wood-carviiiR.  The  ininiitahk'  carvings  of  fruit,  flowers, 
and  game  by  Grinling  Ciibbons,  the  famous  English  carver, 
were  made  entirely  of  linden  ;  no  other  wood  could  be  relied 
upon  to  be  so  even  of  texture  and  so  free  from  knots?^-. 

The  leaves  of  all  the  lindens  are  one-sided,  al\\Sfs"1ieart- 
shaped,  and  the  tiny  fruit,  looking  like  peas,  alwaysliaiigs  at- 
tached to  a  curious,  ribbon-like, 
greenish  yellow  bract,  whose  use 
seems  to  be  to  launch  the  ripened 
seed-clusters  just  a  little  beyond 
the  parent  tree.  The  flowers  of 
the  European  and  American  lin- 
dens are  similar,  except  that  the 
American  bears  a  petal-like  scale 
among  its  stamens  and  the  Euro- 
pean varieties  are  destitute  of 
these  appendages. 

The  possible  age  of  the  Linden 
in  America  has  not  yet  been  de- 
termined. In  Europe  it  is  known 
to  have  reached  the  age  of  centu- 
ries. In  the  court-yard  of  the  Im- 
perial Castle  at  Nuremberg  is  a 
Linden  which  tradition  says  was 
planted  by  the  Empress  Cuni- 
gunde,  the  wife  of  Henry  II.  of 
Germany.  This  would  make  the 
tree  nearly  nine  hundred  years 
old.  It  looks  ancient  and  infirm, 
but  sends  forth  thrifty  leaves  on 

its  two  or  three  remaining  branches  and  is  of  course  cared 
for  tenderly.  The  famous  Linden  of  Neustadt  on  the  Kocher 
in  Wtirtemberg  was  computed  to  be  one  thousahct  years  old 
when  it  fell. 

The  Linden  is  loved  of  the  bees.  No  matter  how  isolated 
the  tree  the  bees  are  sure  to  find  the  fragrant  nectar-laden 
blossoms.     The  excellence  of  the  honey  of  far-famed  Hybla 

27 


Fiuit  of  the  Linden,  Tilia  aDiericaiia. 


LINDEN   FAMILY 


Trunk  of  the  Linden,   Tilia  americaua. 
28 


LINDEN 

was  due  to  the  lime-trees  that  covered  its  sides  and  crowned 
its  summit.     We  read  that  in  obedience  to  Amphion's  music, 

The  Linden  broke  her  ranks  and  rent 
The  woodbine  wreaths  that  bound  her, 

And  down  the  middle,  buzz  !  she  went 
With  all  her  bees  around  her. 

Homer,  Horace,  Virgil,  and  Pliny  mention  the  lime-tree 
and  celebrate  its  virtues.  As  Ovid  tells  the  old  story  of 
Baucis  and  Philemon,  she  was  changed  into  a  linden  and  he 
into  an  oak  when  the  time  came  for  them  both  to  die. 

Herodotus  says  :  "  The  Scythian  diviners  take  also  the  leaf 
of  the  lime-tree,  which,  dividing  into  three  parts,  they  twine 
round  their  fingers  ;  they  then  unbind  it  and  exercise  the 
art  to  which  they  pretend." 

It  is  interesting  to  recall  that  Linnaeus,  the  great  botanist, 
derived  his  name  from  a  linden  tree.  His  father  belonged  to 
a  race  of  peasants  who  had  Christian  names  only,  but  hav- 
ing by  his  personal  efforts  raised  himself  to  the  position  of 
pastor  of  the  village  in  which  he  lived,  he  followed  an  old 
Swedish  custom,  common  in  such  cases,  of  adopting  a  sur- 
name. 

A  very  beautiful  linden  tree  stood  near  his  home,  and  be- 
ing something  of  a  botanist  himself  he  chose  Linne,  the 
Swedish  for  linden,  and  called  himself  Nils  Linne  or  Nicholas 
Linden.  When  his  famous  son  Carl  became  professor  of  bot- 
any at  the  University  of  Upsala,  his  name  Linne  was  lat- 
inized into  Linnceus,  as  we  know  it  to-day.  But  when  the  king 
of  Spain  conferred  upon  him  a  patent  of  nobility  it  was  given 
to  him  as  Count  von  Linne  or  Count  of  the  Linden  tree. 

Like  the  Magnolia  the  Linden  belongs  to  an  ancient  and 
northern  race.  Tilia  appears  in  the  tertiary  formations  of 
Crinnell  Land  in  cS2°  north  latitude,  and  in  Spitzbergen.  Sa- 
porta  believed  that  he  found  there  the  common  ancestor  of 
the  lindens  of  Europe  and  America. 

All  the  lindens  may  be  propagated  by  cuttings  and  graft- 
ing as  well  as  by  seed.  They  grow  rapidly  in  a  rich  soil,  but 
are  subject  to  the  attacks  of  many  insect  enemies. 

29 


LINDEN    FAMILY 

Tilia  pubcscens^  the  Downy  Linden,  or  Small-leaved  Bass- 
wood,  is  a  southern  species  which  makes  its  way  as  far  north 
as  Long  Island.  It  is  a  small  tree,  nowhere  common,  but 
found  at  its  best  in  South  Carolina.  The  leaves  are  usually 
two  or  three  inches  long  ;  shoots  and  leaves  and  fruit  cov- 
ered with  rusty  down  ;  the  fruit  bract  rounded  at  the  base, 
the  flowers  smaller  and  the  nutlets  more  spherical  than  those 
of  Z".  a/nericana. 

Tilia  heterophylla^  the  White  Basswood,  is  a  mountain  spe- 
cies ranging  along  the  Alleghanies  from  Pennsylvania  to 
Tennessee.  At  its  best  it  reaches  the  height  of  sixty  feet. 
The  leaves  are  large,  very  unilateral,  six  or  seven  inches  long, 
four  or  five  broad,  light  green  or  smooth  above,  silvery  downy 
beneath.  The  fruit  bract  is  pointed  at  the  base,  the  flowers 
are  larger  than  those  of  T.  america/ia,  the  fruit  is  spherical  and 
downy.  The  tree  is  not  generally  known,  but  Professor  Sar- 
gent, in  "  The  Silva  of  North  America,"  says  of  it :  ^'  Few  North 
American  trees  surpass  it  in  beauty  of  foliage  ;  and  the  con- 
trast made  by  the  silvery  whiteness  of  the  under  surface  of 
its  ample  leaves  as  they  flutter  on  their  slender  stems,  with 
the  dark  green  of  the  Hemlocks  and  Laurels  on  the  banks  of 
rapid  mountain  streams  produces  one  of  the  most  beautiful 
effects  which  can  be  seen  in  the  splendid  forests  which  clothe 
the  valleys  of  the  southern  Appalachian  Mountains." 

Tilia  europcEa,  the  European  linden,  is  distinguished  from 
the  American  lindens  by  its  smaller  and  more  regularly  heart- 
shaped  leaves.  Although  the  second  midrib  is  present  the 
leaf  often  becomes  scarcely  unilateral.  The  flowers  are 
destitute  of  the  petal-like  scale  among  the  stamens,  which  is 
so  marked  a  characteristic  of  all  American  lindens,  and  the 
leaves  are  a  little  darker  than  those  of  our  native  species. 
Several  varieties  are  in  cultivation. 


30 


WHITE    BASSWOOD 


Underside  ut  ii  Fruiting  Spray  c-t  White  Basswcn.d,   Tilia  Ih-terophvlla. 

Leaves  b'  to  ~/  long,  4'  to  s'  broad. 


RUTACEiE— RUE   FAMILY 

WAFER   ASH.     HOP-TREE 

Ptelea   trifoliata. 

Ptelea,  of  Greek  derivation,  is  the  classical  name  of  the  elm 
tree,  which  was  transferred  by  Linnaeus  to  this  genus,  because 
of  the  resemblance  of  its  fruit  to  that  of  the  elm,  Trifoliata  re- 
fers to  the  three-parted  compound  leaf. 

A  small  tree,  sometimes  reaching  the  height  of  twenty  feet,  often 
a  shrub  of  a  few  spreading  stems.  It  makes  part  of  the  under- 
growth of  the  forests  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  and  is  found  most 
frequently  on  rocky  slopes.  Has  thick  fleshy  roots,  flourishes  in 
rich,  rather  moist  soil.  Its  juices  are  acrid  and  bitter  and  the  bark 
possesses  tonic  properties. 

Bark. — Dark  reddish  brown,  smooth.  Branchlets  dark  reddish 
brown,  shining,  covered  with  small  excrescences.  Bitter  and  ill- 
scented. 

Wood. — Yellow  brown  ;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained,  satiny,  Sp. 
gr,,  0.8319;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  51.84  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Small,  depressed,  round,  pale,  covered  with  sil- 
very hairs. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  compound,  three  -  parted,  dotted  with  oil 
glands.  Leaflets  sessile,  ovate  or  oblong,  three  to  five  inches  long, 
by  two  to  three  broad,  pointed  at  base,  entire  or  serrate,  gradually 
pointed  at  apex.  Feather-veined,  midrib  and  primary  veins  prom- 
inent. They  come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate,  very  downy,  when 
full  grown  are  dark  green,  shining  above,  paler  green  beneath.  In 
autumn  they  turn  a  rusty  yellow.  Petioles  stout,  two  and  a  half  to 
three  inches  long,  base  enlarged.     Stipules  wanting. 

Flowers. — May,  June.  Polygamo  -  monoecious,  greenish  white. 
Fertile  and  sterile  flowers  produced  together  in  terminal,  spreading, 
compound  cymes  ;  the  sterile  being  usually  fewer,  and  falling  after 
the  anther  cells  mature.     Pedicels  downy. 

Calyx. — Four  or  five-parted,  downy,  imbricate  in  the  bud. 

32 


WAFER   ASH 


Fruiting  Spray  oi  WaU-r  Ash,  Plch'a  tn/oIuLi. 

Leatlets  y  to  3'  lung.   2'  to  3'  broad. 


RUE    FAMILY 

Corolla. — Petals  four  or  five,  white,  downy,  spreading,  hypogy- 
nous,  imbricate  in  the  bud. 

Stamens. — Five,  alternate  with  the  petals,  hypogynous,  the  pistil- 
late flowers  with  rudimentary  anthers  ;  filaments  awl-shaped,  more 
or  less  hairy ;  anthers  ovate  or  cordate,  two-celled,  cells  opening 
longitudinally. 

Pistils. — Ovary  superior,  hairy,  abortive  in  the  staminate  flowers, 
two  to  three-celled  ;  style  short  ;  stigma  two  to  three-lobed  ;  ovules 
two  in  each  cell. 

Fruit. — Samara,  orbicular,  surrounded  by  a  broad,  many-veined 
reticulate  membranous  ring,  two-seeded.  Ripens  in  October  and 
hangs  in  clusters  until  midwinter. 

The  Wafer  Ash  is  a  tree  in  miniature  ;  no  matter  if  only 
six  feet  high,  it  will  assume  the  arborescent  habit  and  pro- 
duce a  broad,  rounded,  spreading  head,  as  much  as  to  say 
"  I  can  be  a  tree  if  I  am  small."  Long  ago,  like  the  Papaw, 
it  acknowledged  itself  vanquished  in  the  struggle  for  light 
and  elected  to  grow  in  the  shade.  Its  northern  limit  is  the 
north  shore  of  Lake  Ontario,  its  southern  the  mountains  of 
Mexico,  and  in  all  that  vast  region  it  forms  no  inconsiderable 
part  of  the  undergrowth  of  the  forest. 

Losing  on  many  sides  in  the  struggle  for  existence  it  has 
certainly  gained  on  one,  for  it  has  developed  one  of  the  best 
adaptations  for  disseminating  seed  found  in  the  vegetable 
world.  A  seed  like  that  of  the  Magnolia  has  little  chance 
of  getting  far  from  home,  unless  it  can  borrow  wings  by 
making  itself  attractive  to  birds,  or  legs  by  being  sought  by 
animals.  And  if  all  the  seeds  of  a  tree  should  germinate 
under  the  parent  shade  there  would  be  little  chance  for  any 
seedling.  Hence  a  tree  has  made  a  long  step  forward  in 
the  struggle  for  existence  wdien  it  is  able  to  equip  its  seeds 
with  wings  of  their  own  which  will  bear  them  by  the  aid  of 
a  favoring  breeze  away  from  the  parent  tree. 

It  is  just  this  that  the  Wafer  Ash  has  accomplished.  Its 
fruit  is  a  two-seeded  samara,  that  is,  a  closed  wooden  box  in 
which  are  safely  stored  two  seeds.  If  that  were  all,  al- 
though the  cover  might  be  tight  and  the  seeds  secure  from 
harm,  they  could  never  get  very  far  from  home.  At  this 
point  the  life-saving  appliance  comes  in.     Upon  each  of   the 

34 


WAFER   ASH 

opposite  sides  of  that  oblong  pointed  seed-vessel  there  grows 
a  thin  membranous  wing,  which  enlarges  until  at  length  each 
meets  the  other  and  uniting  they  form  one  continuous  mem- 
brane. By  this  means  the  surface  has  been  increased  at 
least  six  fold,  the  weight  scarcely  one,  and  the  result  is  a 
buoyant  body  that  when  freed  from  the  anchoring  stem  will 
float  upon  the  moving  air. 

One  thing  further  bespeaks  kind  nature's  care.  The  tree 
never  lets  her  darlings  go  until  early  winter  when  winds  are 
high,  and  consequently  they  are  borne  far  afield.  In  the 
light  of  this  life-story  it  is  not  surprising  that  the  species  is 
abundant  in  its  native  forests. 

The  Wafer  Ash  is  monoecious,  that  is,  both  sterile  and  fer- 
tile flowers  are  borne  in  the  same  flower  cluster.  A  blossom 
which  has  stamens  but  no  pistils  is  called  a  staminate  or 
sterile  flower  because  it  can  produce  no  seeds.  A  blossom 
which  has  pistils  but  no  stamens  is  called  a  pistillate  or  fer- 
tile flower  because  it  can  be  fertilized  by  pollen  from  other 
flowers  and  can  produce  seeds.  These  two  sorts  of  flowers 
may  grow  on  plants  produced  from  distinct  roots  ;  then  the 
plants  are  said  to  be  dioecious,  a  word  of  Greek  derivation 
which  means,  living  in  two  households.  Or  the  two  kinds 
may  occur  on  the  same  plant  or  in  the  same  flower  cluster  ; 
then  the  flowers  are  said  to  be  monoecious,  that  is,  living  in 
one  household. 


35 


SIMAROUBACE^— AILANTHUS   FAMILY 

AILANTHUS 

A  ildn  th  lis  gla  n  dit  Ibsa . 
Ailanthiis  means,  it  is  said,  Tree  of  Heaven. 

Native  of  China,  introduced  into  Europe  about  the  middle  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  A  sturdy  tree,  fifty  to  seventy  feet  high, 
which  produces  an  irregular  and  picturesque  head.  Grows  rapidly  ; 
roots  run  near  the  surface  ;  suckers  freely  ;  short-lived.  Tolerant 
of  many  soils. 

Bark. — Brownish  gray,  with  shallow  fissures.  Branchlets  stout, 
clumsy,  brownish  green,  then  reddish  brown,  finally  dark  brown  ; 
bitter. 

Wood. — Pale  yellow  ;  hard,  fine-grained,  satiny.  Used  in  cab- 
inet work. 

Winter  Buds. —Brown,  small,  flattened,  obtuse. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  pinnately  compound,  one  and  one  -  half  to 
three  feet  long.  Leaflets  twenty-one  to  forty-one,  from  three  to 
five  inches  long.  Ovate-lanceolate,  base  truncate  or  heart-shaped, 
unequal,  entire,  with  one  or  two  coarse  blunt  teeth  at  each  side  of 
the  base,  acuminate.  Terminal  leaflet  ovate,  toothed,  sometimes 
lobed,  sometimes  wanting.  Feather-veined,  midrib  and  primary 
veins  prominent.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  a  bronze  reddish 
green,  when  full  grown  are  dark  green  above,  paler  green  beneath. 
In  autumn  they  turn  a  bright  clear  yellow,  or  fall  without  change. 
Petioles,  smooth,  terete,  swollen  at  base,  often  reddish.  Stipules 
wanting. 

Flowers. — June,  when  leaves  are  full  grown.  Polygamo-dioecious, 
small,  yellowish  green,  borne  in  upright  panicles.  Staminate  flow- 
ers ill  scented.     Pistillate  much  less  so. 

Calyx. — Five-lobed,  lobes  imbricate  in  bud. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  greenish,  oblong,  acute,  hairy,  hypogynous, 
imbricate  in  bud. 

36 


AILANTHUS 


Aihintluis,  Ailaiitbits  glaiiditlosa. 
Leaves  i}^°  to  3°  long.     Leaflets  3'  to  5'  long. 


AILANTHUS   FAMILY 

Stamens. — In  pistillate  flowers  two  or  three,  inserted  on  an  hypog- 
ynous  disk;  in  staminate  flowers  ten.  Filaments  thread-like,  hairy  ; 
anthers  oblong,  introrse,  two-celled,  opening  longitudinally. 

Pistil, — Ovary  superior  ;  style  erect ;  stigma  five-lobed. 

Fruit. — One-celled,  one-seeded  samaras,  borne  in  full  clusters, 
reddish,  or  yellow  green,  slightly  twisted.  Abundant,  beautiful. 
October. 

When  people  learn  for  the  first  time  that  the  Ailanthus 
which  came  to  us  from  China  is  there  known  as  the  Tree  of 
Heaven,  they  are  inclined  to  look  upon  it  as  another  instance 
of  the  general  reversal  of  western  standards  in  the  Flowery 
Kingdom  ;  unless,  indeed,  what  is  meant  is,  that  it  "  smells  to 
Heaven."  F'or  the  odor  of  the  staminate  blossoms  in  June 
is  so  far-reaching,  overpowering,  and  sickening  that  the  tree 
is  very  generally  execrated,  and  all  its  merits  fail  to  atone 
for  its  one  demerit. 

The  tree  has  a  history.  Its  seeds  were  sent  to  England 
from  China  in  1751  by  Jesuit  missionaries  who  believed  it 
could  be  acclimated  and  the  leaves  used  as  the  food  of  a 
certain  kind  of  silkworm.  The  experiment  failed,  but  the 
trees  proved  to  be  so  stately,  graceful,  and  ornamental  that 
they  were  soon  valued  for  their  own  sake.  They  were 
planted  extensively  in  parks  and  pleasure  grounds  ;  were 
soon  introduced  into  the  United  States  and  planted  first 
near  Philadelphia,  afterward  in  Rhode  Island,  and  also 
abundantly  at  Flushing,  New  York.  At  first  the  new  impor- 
tations were  very  popular,  but  this  popularity  soon  waned 
because  of  the  disagreeable  odor  of  the  blossoms,  and  the 
trees  were  very  generally  cut  down.  Since  that  time,  how- 
ever, the  tree  has  been  slowly  coming  back  into  favor.  The 
dealers  are  now  able  to  supply  their  customers  with  pistillate 
plants,  since  the  tree  is  dioecious,  and  as  the  unpleasant  odor 
pertains  almost  wholly  to  the  staminate  flowers,  that  objec- 
tion may  be  entirely  eliminated.  The  pistillate  tree  in  au- 
tumn loaded  with  its  great  clusters  of  reddish  yellow  sama- 
ras is  both  conspicuous  and  beautiful. 

The  Ailanthus  really   has   great  merits.     Among  these  is 

38 


AILANTHUS 


the  one  that  it  retains  its  foliage  bright  and  fresh  and  green 
throughout  the  late  summer  when  so  many  trees  become 
ragged  and  unsightly.  This 
characteristic  especially  rec- 
ommends it  as  a  city  tree. 
Then,  too,  it  grows  rapidly, 
as  do  all  trees  whose  roots 
run  near  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  and  the  growing 
stems  of  young  plants  will 
often  make  from  four  to  six 
feet  in  a  single  summer.  It 
sends  forth  suckers  abun- 
dantly, its  winged  seeds  are 
borne  by  the  wind  to  many 
a  crack  and  crevice,  and  its 
seedlings  have  a  fashion  of 
coming  up  close  to  the  foun- 
dations of  city  houses  and 
flourishing  there.  Apparent- 
ly it  delights  in  meagre  and 
barren  soils,  for  it  often 
prospers  where  few  other 
trees  will  grow.  No  insect  enemies  have  as  yet  appeared, 
if  there  are  any  in  China  they  seem  not  to  have  mi- 
grated. 

The  branches  look  clumsy  in  winter  because  of  the  entire 
absence  of  small  spray  ;  this  is  a  characteristic  of  all  trees 
with  large  compound  leaves.  It  will  be  readily  seen  that 
this  must  be  so,  otherwise  the  twig  could  not  sustain  the  ac- 
cumulated weight  of  the  leaves.  All  the  twigs  look  upward, 
not  one  turns  to  the  earth. 

The  beauty  of  the  unfolding  leaves  is  one  of  the  sights  of 
spring  time.  The  tufts  of  young  leaves  with  their  bronze 
greens  and  madder  browns  and  pale  green  tips  glow  in  a 
brilliant  atmosphere  like  the  wings  of  a  golden  pheasant. 
Bring  one  into  the  house,  put  it  into  a  proper  vase,  set  it  in 

39 


Ailanthus  ;   Cluster  of  Samaras. 


AILANTHUS    FAMILY 


the  sunlight  and  you  will  have  a  bouquet  with  a  color  scheme 

rarely  equalled. 

The  mature  leaf  is  often  three  feet  long,  with  many  pairs  of 

leaflets,  and  one  leaflet  at  the  end.  Normally,  there  should 
be  a  terminal  leaflet,  actually,  it  is  often 
wanting  ;  this,  too,  is  common  in  pinnately 
compound  leaves  ;  the  Black  Walnut  and  the 
Butternut  are  often  evenly,  instead  of  oddly, 
pinnate  ;  the  terminal  leaflet  aborts. 

The  young  Ailanthus  and  the  Sumach  may 
easily  be  mistaken  for  each  other,  but  a  mo- 
ment's careful  observation  is  sufficient  to 
mark  the  dift'erence  between  them.  The 
growing  shoot  and  last  year's  wood  of  the 
Sumach  are  velvety,  while  those  of  the  Ail- 
anthus are  smooth.  The  margin  of  the 
Ailanthus  leaflet  is  entire  save  a  tooth  or 
two  at  the  base,  the  Sumach  leaflet  is  ser- 
rate all  along  the  margin.  The  under  side 
of  the  Sumach  leaflet  is  whitish,  the  Ailan- 
thus pale  green.  But  autumn  tells  the  story 
unmistakably,  the  Ailanthus  leaf  either  turns 
a  lemon  yellow  throughout  its  length  or  drops 
unchanged,  the  Sumach  glows  in  scarlet  and 
orange  ere  it  parts  from  the  parent  stem. 
The  Ailanthus  is  short-lived  ;    the  trunk 

soon  becomes  hollow,  and  a  tree  two  and  a  half  or  three  feet 

in  diameter,  having  every  appearance  of  health  and  vigor, 

will  go  down  before  a  strong  wind  only  to  disclose  the  fact 

that  it  was  simply  a  shell. 


An  Ailanthus  and  a 
Sumach  Leaflet. 


49 


AQUIFOLIACEtE— HOLLY    FAMILY 

HOLLY 

Ilex  opaca. 

Theophrastus  and  other  Greek  authors  named  the  Holly  Agria  ; 
that  is,  wild  or  of  the  fields  ;  and  the  Romans  formed  from  this  the 
word,  Agrifoliitni  ;  and  called  it  also  Aqiiifoliiiui  from  acjiium, 
sharp,  and  foliiun,  a  leaf.  C.  Bauhin  and  Loureiro  first  named  it 
Ilex  on  account  of  the  resemblance  of  its  leaves  to  those  of  the 
Qtiercus  Ilex,  the  true  Ilex  of  Virgil.  Linnaeus  adopted  the  name 
Ilex  for  the  genus,  and  preserved  the  name  of  Aquifoliuui  for  the 
most  anciently  known  species.  The  name  Holly  is  probal)ly  a  cor- 
ruption of  the  word  holy,  as  Turner  in  his  "  Herbal  "  calls  it 
Holy,  and  Holy  Tree,  probably  from  its  being  used  to  commem- 
orate the  holy  time  of  Christmas,  not  only  in  houses  but  in 
churches.  The  German  name  Christdorn,  the  Danish  name  Christ- 
orn,  and  the  Swedish  name  Christtorn,  seem  to  justify  this  con- 
jecture. '  — Loudon. 

Opaca,  opaque,  refers  to  the  color  of  the  leaves  of  the  American 
species,  which  is  a  duller  green  than  that  of  the  Tuiropean. 

An  evergreen  tree,  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet  in  height,  found  sparing- 
ly in  New  England  and  New  York,  where  it  is  always  small.  Abun- 
dant on  the  southern  coast  and  in  the  Gulf  States,  reaches  its 
greatest  size  on  the  bottom  lands  of  southern  Arkansas  and  eastern 
Texas.  The  branches  are  short  and  slender  and  the  head  pyrami- 
dal. Roots  thick  and  fleshy.  Will  grow  in  both  dry  and  swampy 
soil,  but  grows  slowly.  Juices  watery,  and  contain  a  bitter  principle 
which  possesses  tonic  properties. 

Bark. — Light  gray,  roughened  by  excrescences.  Branchlets 
stout,  green  at  first  and  covered  with  rusty  down,  later  smooth  and 
brown. 


HOLLY   FAMILY 

IVood.— Brown,  sapwood  paler  brown  ;  light,  tough,  close- 
grained,  susceptible  of  a  brilliant  polish,  and  is  used  for  whip-han- 
dles, engraving  blocks,  and  cabinet  work.  Sp.  gr.,  0.5818  ;  weight 
of  cu.  ft.,  36.26  lbs. 

Wifiter  Biids. — Brown,  short,  obtuse  or  acute. 
Leaves. — Alternate,  evergreen,  simple,  feather-veined,  elliptical 
or  oblong,  two  to  four  inches  long,  wedge-shaped  at  base,  wavy 
toothed  margin  with  a  few  spiny  teeth,  acute  at  apex  ;  midrib  prom- 
inent and  depressed,  primary  veins  conspicuous.  Thick,  leathery, 
yellow  green,  shining  above,  often  pale  yellow  beneath.  They  re- 
main on  the  branches  for  three  years,  finally  falling  in  the  spring 
when  pushed  off  by  growing  buds.  Petioles  short,  stout,  grooved, 
thickened  at  base.     Stipules  minute. 

Flowers. — May,  June.  Dioecious,  greenish  white,  small,  both 
sterile  and  fertile  borne  in  short  pedunculate  cymes  from  the  axils 
of  young  leaves  or  scattered  along  the  base  of  young  branches. 
Sterile  clusters  three  to  nine -flowered  ;  fertile  clusters  one  to  three- 
flowered.  Peduncles  and  pedicels  hairy  with  minute  bracts  at  base. 
Calyx. — Small,  four-lobed,  imbricate  in  the  bud,  acute,  margins 
ciliate,  persistent. 

Corolla. — Petals  white,  four,  somewhat  united  at  base,  obtuse, 
spreading,  hypogynous,  imbricate  in  bud. 

Stamens. — Four,  inserted  on  the  base  of  corolla,  alternate  with 
its  lobes  ;  filaments  awl-shaped,  exserted  in  the  sterile,  much  short- 
er in  the  fertile  flower  ;  anthers  attached  at  the  back,  oblong,  in- 
trorse,  two-celled,  cells  opening  longitudinally. 

Pistils. — Ovary  superior,  four-celled,  rudimentary  in  staminate 
flowers  ;  style  wanting  ;  stigma  sessile,  four-lobed  ;  ovules  one  or 
two  in  each  cell. 

Fruit. — Drupaceous,  spherical  or  ovoid,  crowned  with  the  rem- 
nants of  the  stigma,  one-fourth  of  an  inch  across,  red,  rarely  yellow, 
persistent  all  winter.  Nutlets  few,  ribbed  and  veined,  nearly  tri- 
ang-ular. 

On  Christmas  eve  the  bells  were  rung  ; 
On  Christmas  eve  the  mass  was  sung  ; 
That  only  night  in  all  the  year, 
Saw  the  stoled  priest  the  chalice  rear. 
The  damsel  donned  her  kirtle  sheen  ; 
The  hall  was  dressed  with  holly  green  ; 
Forth  to  the  wood  did  merry-men  go 
To  gather  in  the  mistletoe. 

Marviio7i.—^\^  WALTER  ScOTT. 

The  mistletoe  hung  in  the  castle  hall, 
The  holly  branch  shone  on  the  old  oak  wall ; 
The  baron's  retainers  were  blithe  and  gay 
A  keeping  a  Christmas  holiday. 

—Thomas  H.  Bayley. 

42 


HOLLY 


Fruiting  Spray  ut  Holly,  Ih'x  opaca. 

Leaves  2'  to  21^'  long. 


HOLLY    FAMILY 

The  custom  of  employing  holly  and  other  plants  for  decorative  purposes  at 
Christmas,  is  one  of  considerable  antiquity,  and  has  been  regarded  as  a  survival 
of  the  usages  of  the  Roman  Saturnalia,  or  of  an  old  Teutonic  practice  of  hang- 
ing the  interior  of  dwellings  with  evergreens  as  a  refuge  for  sylvan  spirits  from 
the  inclemency  of  the  weather.  — f-tjcyc.  Britanntca. 

In  English  poetry  and  English  stories  the  Holly  is  insep- 
arably connected  with  the  merry-making  and  greetings  which 
gather  around  the  Christmas  tide.  The  custom  is  also  ours, 
and  a  few  days  before  Christmas  the  shops  are  filled  with 
holly  and  mistletoe  for  the  annual  decoration  of  homes  and 
churches. 

The  severity  of  our  climate  forbids  the  European  Holly, 
with  its  deep  green,  glossy  foliage  and  coral  berries,  to  live 
here  except  upon  a  most  precarious  footing.  But  our  Amer- 
ican Holly  makes  an  excellent  second  in  the  class  where  the 
European  is  first,  for  it  very  closely  resembles  the  foreign 
species.  The  leaves  are  similar  in  outline  and  toothed  and 
bristled  very  much  in  the  same  way,  but  they  are  a  paler 
green,  and  although  the  surface  is  polished  and  shining  it 
does  not  in  brilliancy  quite  equal  its  European  cousin. 

The  American  Holly  is  a  handsome  tree  and  worthy  of  far 
more  attention  from  landscape  gardeners  than  it  gets.  Pos- 
sibly the  objection  to  it  is  its  slowness  of  growth.  The  tree 
is  low,  the  branches  almost  horizontal,  and  the  gray  bark  in 
old  trees  becomes  the  willing  host  of  great  numbers  of  gray 
and  white  and  bluish  lichens  which  make  the  tree  look  ven- 
erable before  its  time.  Its  pretty  white  flowers  appear  in 
clusters  either  in  the  axils  of  the  leaves  or  scattered  along 
the  young  shoots.  The  berries  are  scarlet,  contain  four 
stony  seeds  and  remain  on  the  tree  into  the  winter.  The 
flesh  of  the  berries  is  so  thin  and  aromatic  that  the  birds  do 
not  seem  to  care  for  it. 

The  Holly  is  usually  propagated  by  seeds,  or  young  plants 
are  taken  from  the  woods.  As  the  seeds  do  not  germinate 
until  the  second  year,  transplanting  the  wild  young  trees  is 
the  best  way  of  obtaining  them.  This  should  be  done  in 
the  spring  before  growth  begins. 

44 


HOLLY 


Mountain  Holly,  Ilex  monticola. 
Leaves  2'  to  b'  long. 


Ilex  monticola,  the  Mountain  Holly,  is  another  species  that 
becomes  a  tree,  but  is  not  very  generally  known.  It  is 
found  in  the  Catskill  Mountains  and 
extends  southward  along  the  Alle- 
ghanies  as  far  as  Alabama.  The 
leaves  do  not  at  all  suggest  the  pop- 
ular idea  of  a  holly,  as  they  are  de- 
ciduous, light  green,  ovate  or  ob- 
long, wedge-shaped  or  rounded  at 
base,  serrate,  acute  at  apex,  and  ut- 
terly destitute  of  spines  or  bristles. 
They  vary  from  two  to  six  inches  in 
length.  The  white  flowers  appear  in 
June  when  the  leaves  are  more  than 
half  grown.  The  fruit  is  spherical, 
nearly  half  an  inch  in  diameter  and 
bright  scarlet.  It  is  a  tree  of  re- 
markably slow  growth  ;  a  specimen 
in  the  American  Museum  of  Natural  History,  New  York,  is 
five  inches  in  diameter  and  shows  one  hundred  and  seven 
layers  of  annual  growth,  of  which  seventy-nine  are  sapwood. 

The  genus  Ilex  is  widely  distributed  over  the  world.  It 
has  no  representative  west  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  nor 
any  in  Australia.  But  South  America  is  rich  in  them,  the 
West  Indies  alone  have  ten  species,  eastern  North  America 
has  fourteen,  India  twenty-four,  China  and  Japan  over 
thirty.  Europe,  strange  to  say,  has  only  one,  but  that  one 
has  been  developed  into  innumerable  varieties.  One  hun- 
dred and  seventy-five  species  have  already  been  noted,  and 
undoubtedly  there  are  others  not  yet  described. 

The  fossil  remains  which  are  now  known  give  confirmation 
of  the  fact  that  plants  are  ever  changing.  The  species  of  to- 
day are  rarely  the  species  of  a  former  age.  The  rocks  tell 
us  that  in  the  early  tertiary  period  several  forms  of  Ilex  ex- 
isted in  the  arctic  regions. 

Ilex  spinescens,  a  fossil  form,  is  believed  to  be  the  remote  com- 
mon ancestor  of  the  American  and  European  Christmas  Hollies. 

45 


CELASTRACE/E— STAFF-TREE   FAMILY 

BURNING   BUSH.     WAAHOO.     SPINDLE-TREE 

EiiSnymiis  atropiirpnreus.      Evduyuiiis  atropurpiireus. 

Enonymus,  derived  from   two  Greek  words,  signifies  good  repute. 
Atropiirpnreus,  dark  purple,  refers  to  the  flower. 

Widely  distributed.  Usually  a  shrub  six  to  ten  feet  high,  becom- 
ing a  tree  only  in  southern  Arkansas  and  Indian  Territory.  Loves 
the  borders  of  woods  ;  prefers  moist  soil.     Root  fibrous. 

Bark. — Ashen  gray,  furrowed,  scaly.  Branchlets  slender,  dark, 
purplish  brown  ;  later  become  brownish  gray.     Bitter,  drastic. 

Wood. — White,  tinged  with  orange  ;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained. 
Sp.  gr.,  0.6592  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  41.08  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Purple  with  glaucous  bloom,  small,  acute. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  entire,  feather-veined,  elliptical  or  ovate,  two 
to  four  inches  long,  one  to  two  broad,  pointed  at  base,  finely  serrate, 
acute  ;  midvein  and  primary  veins  conspicuous.  In  autumn  they 
turn  pale  yellow.     Petioles  short,  stout.     Stipules  minute,  caducous. 

Floiucrs. — May,  June.  Perfect,  dark  purple,  half  an  inch  across, 
borne  in  dichotomous,  axillary,  few-flowered  cymes.  Peduncles 
slender. 

Calyx. — Four-lobed,  lobes  spreading,  imbricate  in  bud.  Disk 
thick,  fleshy,  filling  the  tube  of  the  calyx,  four-lobed,  adherent  to 
the  ovary. 

Corolla.— Vq\.2\^  four,  inserted  on  calyx  under  margin  of  disk, 
dark  purple,  obovate,  imbricate  in  bud  ;  margins  often  erose. 

Stame7is.—Yowx,  alternate  with  the  petals,  inserted  on  the  disk; 
filaments  very  short ;  anthers  in  pairs,  two-celled ;  cells  opening 
longitudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  surrounded  by  and  adherent  to  the  disk, 
four-celled;  style  short ;  stigma  four-lobed;  ovules  one  or  two  in 
each  cell. 

46 


BURNING   BUSH 


Fruiting-  Spray  of  Burning  Bush,  Fiioi/riiioKs  atropnrpitn'iis. 

Leaves  2'   to  4'  long,  1'  to  2'  broad. 


STAFF-TREE   FAMILY 

F7'uit. — Fleshy  capsules,  borne  on  long  drooping  peduncles  deeply 
four-lobed,  angled,  smooth,  purple,  loculicidally  three  to  five-valved, 
opening  to  discharge  the  seeds  which  are  inclosed  in  a  scarlet  aril. 
Ripen  in  October  and  hang  upon  the  branch  until  midwinter.  Co- 
tyledons broad  and  coriaceous. 

Burning  Bush  is  a  satisfactory  name  for  this  shrub,  which 
retains  its  flame-colored  fruit  long  after  the  leaves  have  fal- 
len and  until  the  winter  storms  beat  it  to  the  ground.  Each 
separate  seed-vessel  develops  a  bright  purple  cover  and  open- 
ing discloses  a  seed  clothed  in  scarlet.  When  these  are 
borne  in  considerable  numbers  the  bush  is  a  conspicuous  ob- 
ject upon  the  lawn  or  in  the  forest. 

The  Indians  called  the  plant  Waahoo,  and  used  the  wood  in 
the  manufacture  of  arrows.  Spindle-tree  is  a  name  brought 
over  seas  and  looks  backward  to  a  time  when  spinning  and 
weaving  were  done  at  home.  The  wood  of  the  European 
species  of  Eiioiiyinus  being  tough,  close-grained  and  also 
reasonably  easy  to  work,  became  the  favorite  wood  for  the 
making  of  spindles — whence  the  name. 

Euonymus  is  the  old  Greek  name  and  signifies,  of  good 
repute.  Now,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  this  particular  individual 
is  a  plant  of  bad  repute,  for  the  leaves,  bark,  and  fruit  are 
acrid  and  poisonous.  One  can  comprehend  its  name  only 
upon  the  theory  of  opposites,  the  principle  upon  which  the 
Greeks  acted  when  they  named  the  Furies,  the  Eumenides, 
the  well-wishers. 

The  Burning  Bush  is  not  native  to  New  England  ;  it  is  a 
shrub  in  the  middle  and  western  states,  and  does  not  attain 
the  dignity  of  treehood  until  it  appears  in  the  bottom  lands 
of  Arkansas  and  adjoining  regions.  It  is  interesting  to  note 
that  those  trees  which  are  distinctively  native  to  our  mid- 
continental  valley,  reach  their  greatest  development  in  the 
southwest.  On  the  banks  of  the  Arkansas  the  Tulip-tree 
reaches  its  one  hundred  and  ninety  feet,  and  there  our  little 
Burning  Bush,  a  shrub  in  northern  fields  and  lawns,  becomes 
a  tree  twenty-five  feet  high  with  spreading  branches. 


48 


RHAMNACE^— BUCKTHORN   FAMILY 

INDIAN    CHERRY 

Rhd  1)1)1  us  ciDviniicDia. 

Found  along  the  borders  of  streams  in  rich  bottom  lands.  Its 
northern  limit  is  Long  Island,  New  York,  where  it  is  a  shrub  ;  it  be- 
comes a  tree  only  in  southern  Arkansas  and  adjoining  regions. 

Bark. — Ashen  gray,  slightly  furrowed,  often  marked  with  dark 
blotches.  Branchlets  terete,  reddish  brown  ;  later  gray,  shining. 
Bitter,  acrid. 

Wood. — Light  brown,  sapwood  almost  white  ;  light,  hard,  close- 
grained.     Sp.  gr.,  0.5462  ;   weight  of  cu.  ft.,  34.04  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Small,  acute. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  feather-veined,  elliptical  or  oblong, 
two  to  five  inches  long,  one  to  two  inches  broad,  wedge-shaped  or 
rounded  at  base,  serrate  or  crenulate,  acute  or  acuminate  ;  midrib 
and  primary  veins  yellow  and  conspicuous.  They  come  out  of  the 
bud  conduplicate  and  densely  coated  with  russet  tomentum,  when 
full  grown  are  dark  yellow  green,  smooth  above,  paler  and  somewhat 
hairy  beneath.  Petioles  long,  slender,  downy.  Stipules  minute, 
caducous. 

Flowers. — May,  June,  when  leaves  are  half  grown  ;  perfect  or 
polygamo-dioecious,  green,  axillary,  borne  in  few-flowered  downy 
umbels. 

Calyx  — Campanulate,  five-lobed,  lobes  triangular,  valvate  in  bud. 
Disk  lining  the  calyx  tube. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  inserted  on  the  disk,  alternate  with  the 
calyx-lobes,  minute,  ovate,  notched  at  apex,  involute  around  the 
stamens  in  bud. 

Stamens. — Five,  opposite  the  petals,  inserted  on  the  disk  ;  fila- 
ments short  ;  anthers  in  pairs,  introrse,  two-celled,  cells  opening 
longitudinally  ;  rudimentary  in  pistillate  flower.. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  free,  ovoid,  two  to  four-celled  ;  rudimen- 
tary in  staminate  flower  ;  style  long  ;  stigma  three-lobed  ;  ovules 
one  in  each  cell. 

Fruit. — Drupaceous,  globose,  black,  one-third  of  an  inch  in  di- 
ameter, resting  on  the  base  of  the  calyx  ;  flesh  thin,  sweet  ;  nutlets 
two  to  four. 

49 


HI  PPOC  AST  AN  ACE^— HORSE-CHESTNUT 
FAMILY 

OHIO  BUCKEYE.  FETID  BUCKEYE 

^senilis  glabra. 

yEsciiIits    is  derived  from  esca,  nourishment.    Glabra,  smooth. 

A  tree  varying  in  height  from  thirty  to  seventy  feet,  native  only  in 
the  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  Prefers  the  river  bottoms  ;  nowhere 
abundant,  but  widely  distributed.  Roots  thick  and  fleshy.  Reaches 
its  greatest  development  in  the  valley  of  the  Tennessee  and  in 
northern  Alabama. 

Bark. — Dark  gray,  densely  furrowed,  broken  into  plates.  Branch- 
lets  orange  brown  and  downy,  later  reddish  brown  and  smooth, 
marked  with  many  lenticular  spots,  finally  dark  brown.  Fetid,  me- 
dicinal. 

Wood. — White,  sapwood  pale  brown  ;  light,  soft,  close-grained. 
Used  especially  in  the  manufacture  of  wooden  limbs.  Sp.  gr.,  0.4542; 
weight  of  cu.  ft.,  28.31  lbs. 

Whiter  Buds. — Pale  brown,  two-thirds  of  an  inch  long,  acute, 
outer  scales  with  glaucous  bloom.  Inner  scales  enlarge  when  spring 
growth  begins,  become  an  inch  and  a  half  to  two  inches  long,  green- 
ish yellow  tipped  with  red  and  remain  until  leaves  are  nearly  half 
grown. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  digitately  compound.  Leaflets  five,  rarely 
seven,  oval,  oblong,  or  ovate,  gradually  contracted  at  the  base,  ser- 
rate, acuminate,  feather-veined  ;  midrib  and  primary  veins  promi- 
nent. They  come  out  of  the  bud  a  shining  brownish  green,  downy; 
when  fuFl  grown  are  yellow  green  above,  paler  beneath.  In  autumn 
they  turn  a  rusty  yellow.  Petiole  long,  grooved,  swollen  at  base, 
sometimes  chaffy  at  the  point  where  the  leaflets  diverge. 

Flowers. — April,  May,  June.  Terminal,  polygamo-monoecious, 
yellow  green,  unilateral;  borne  in  terminal  panicles  five  to  six 
inches  long,  two  to  three  in  breadth,  more  or  less  downy  ;  pedicels 
four  to  six-flowered. 

50 


OHIO    BUCKEYE 


Fiowerii^i,^  Spray  of  Ohio  Buckeye,  Aiu-nlns  glabra. 

Leaflets  3'  to  6'  long. 


HORSE-CHESTNUT    FAMILY 

Calyx. — Tubular,  gibbous,  five-lobed  ;  lobes  unequal,  imbricate 
in  bud  ;  disk  annular,  hypogynous. 

Corolla. — Petals  four,  pale  yellow,  hairy,  clawed,  imbricate  in  bud. 
Lateral  pair  oblong,  superior  pair  oblong-spatulate,  marked  with  red 
stripes. 

Sta)ncns. — Seven,  inserted  on  the  disk,  exserted  ;  filaments  long, 
curved,  downy  ;  anthers  dark  yellow,  elliptical,  introrse,  two-celled  ; 
cells  opening  longitudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  one  to  three -celled,  downy,  echinate  ; 
style  long,  slender  ;  stigma  pointed  ;  ovules  two  in  each  cell. 

Fruit. — Coriaceous  capsule,  three-celled  and  loculicidally  three- 
valved,  the  cells  by  abortion  one-seeded.  Irregularly  ovate,  pale 
brown,  one  to  two  inches  long,  very  prickly  when  young,  smooth- 
ish  at  maturity.  Seeds  roundish,  smooth,  shining,  chestnut-brown 
with  large  round  pale  scar  or  hilum.  October.  Cotyledons  thick 
and  fleshy,  remaining  underground  in  germination. 

One  naturally  expects  to  find  the  Buckeye  in  Ohio.  It 
is  called  the  Buckeye  State,  its  inhabitants  are  called  Buck- 
eyes, and  yet,  strange  to  say,  the  Buckeye  is  not  widely  nor 
very  generally  known  to  Ohioans.  The  reason  for  this  is  to 
be  sought  in  the  character  of  the  tree,  for  trees  vary  in  so- 
cial habits  ;  some  are  gregarious  and  live  in  communities, 
others  prefer  solitude.  A  moment's  reflection  will  show  that 
this  is  true.  A  maple  grove  is  of  frequent  occurrence,  an 
oak  forest  is  common  enough,  the  beech  alone  often  cov- 
ers vast  areas  of  woodland,  but  one  never  hears  of  an  elm 
forest  ;  an  elm  grove  maybe  found,  but  even  that  is  unusual, 
the  elm  occurs  singly  as  do  the  willows  and  the  sycamores. 
The  Buckeye,  also,  is  a  solitary  tree  ;  though  widely  distrib- 
uted it  is  nowhere  abundant  and  is  becoming  less  so  from  ^ 
belief — well  grounded  it  is  said — on  the  part  of  farmers  that 
its  nuts  are  poisonous  to  their  cattle,  sheep,  and  horses. 
Consequently  the  trees  have  been  very  generally  cut  down 
and  are  now  comparatively  rare. 

Two  questions  naturally  arise.  Why  was  the  fetid  Horse- 
chestnut  called  the  Buckeye,  and  how  did  it  happen  that  this 
tree  gave  the  soubriquet  to  the  State  of  Ohio  ?  The  local 
and  picturesque  name  is  undoubtedly  a  tribute  of  the  imag- 
ination  of  the   early   settlers.     We  are  all    familiar  with  the 

52 


OHIO    BUCKEYE 


Buckeye,  A-sciilm;  glabra.    Fruit 
\'  to  2'  long. 


nut  of  the  Horse-chestnut  ;  that  of  the  Buckeye  is  similar. 
When  the  shell  cracks  and  exposes  to  view  the  rich  brown 
nut  with  the  pale  brown  scar,  the  re- 
semblance to  the  half-opened  eye  of 
a  deer  is  not  fancied  but  real.  From 
this  resemblance  came  the  name 
Buckeye. 

How  did  it  happen  that  Ohio  was 
called  the  Buckeye  State  ?  No  direct 
evidence  in  the  matter  is  forthcoming, 
but  circumstantial  evidence  is  not 
wanting-.  The  younger  Michaux, 
travelling  in  this  country  in  1810,  reports  in  his  "  Sylva 
of  North  America  "  that  he  found  the  ^Escnlus  glabra  prin- 
cipally in  Ohio,  and  that  it  was  especially  abundant  on  the 
banks  of  the  Ohio  River  between  Marietta  and  Pittsburg. 
For  this  reason  he  named  the  new  tree  Ohio  Buckeye  and 
as  the  Ohio  Buckeye  it  has  since  been  known,  though  its 
distribution  is  far  wider  than  Alichaux  supposed.  It  was  no 
doubt  an  easy  transition  from  Ohio  Buckeye,  to  Ohio  the 
Buckeye  State,  but  who  accomplished  the  deed  seems  not  to 
be  known. 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  confusion  in  the  minds  of  many 
persons  with  regard  to  the  Buckeye  and  the  Horse-chestnut. 
Both  belong  to  the  one  genus,  but  they  are  not  the  same 
tree.  The  Horse-chestnut  is  European,  the  Buckeye  na- 
tive. The  Horse-chestnut  is  seven-fingered,  the  fiuckeye  five- 
fingered.  The  Horse-chestnut  is  the  sturdier  tree,  the  leaves 
are  larger,  rougher,  the  flowers  much  more  profuse  and  more 
beautiful  than  those  of  the  Buckeye.  It  is  a  fact  well  known 
that  European  plants — herbs  or  trees — if  they  flourish  in 
America  at  all  are  very  likely  to  produce  sturdier  plants 
than  the  native  representatives  of  the  same  genus.  We  all 
know  that  our  worst  and  most  troublesome  weeds  are  not 
native  but  introduced.  The  Norway  maple  is  a  sturdier  tree 
than  our  native  maples,  the  white  willow  is  strt)nger  than 
any  of  our  willows,  the  white  and  Fombardy  poplars  liourish 

53 


HORSE-CHESTNUT    FAMILY 

where  our  natives  would  die,  and  the  Horse-chestnut  is 
stronger  than  the  Buckeye.  There  is  a  certain  dehcacy  of 
fibre  inseparable  from  all  American  native  life.  Perhaps 
som.e  day  the  biologist  will  read  the  riddle. 

The  Sweet  Buckeye,  y'Escidiis  octdndra^  is  a  beautiful  tree  of 
the  Alleghany  Mountains,  ranging  from  Pennsylvania  to  Ala- 
bama and  westward  to  the  Indian  Territory.  It  reaches  its 
greatest  size  in  Tennessee  and  North  Carolina.  Its  leaflets 
are  five  to  seven,  dark  yellow  green  and  smooth,  except  the 
midrib  and  veins  which  are  sometimes  downy.  The  flowers 
are  borne  in  panicles  five  to  seven  inches  long,  are  yellow, 
varying  from  pale  to  dark.  The  nuts  are  large,  one  and  a 
half  to  two  inches  broad,  the  capsule  smooth.  A  variety  of 
this  tree,  yE.  octandra  hybrida,  characterized  by  its  red  or 
purple  flowers,  has  long  been  a  favorite  in  gardens,  where  it 
often  makes  a  handsome  head  of  pendulous  branches.  The 
name  Sweet  Buckeye  means  simply  that  the  bark  is  less  fetid 
than  that  of  others  of  the  genus. 

HORSE-CHESTNUT 

Aisc  II I  Its  h  ippocdstan  Ji  m . 

Hippocastanum  from  hippos,  a  horse,  and  castanea  a  chestnut. 

Cultivated.  Introduced  into  Europe  in  the  seventeenth  century. 
Favorite  tree  for  parks,  lawns,  and  roadsides.  Roots  fleshy;  pre- 
fers a  strong,  rich  soil ;  reaches  the  height  of  one  hundred  feet. 

Bark. — Dark  brown,  roughened  with  small  excrescences, or  divided 
by  shallow  fissures.  Branchlets  reddish  brown,  shining,  at  length 
dark  brown.     Abounds  in  tannic  acid,  fetid. 

Wood. — White,  light,  soft,  close-grained,  not  durable. 

Winter  Buds. — Terminal,  large,  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  long, 
covered  with  resinous  gum,  brown,  axillary  buds  smaller.  Scales 
in  pairs,  closely  imbricated,  within  are  leaves  completely  formed 
and  packed  in  white  tomentum.  Scales  enlarge  when  spring  growth 
begins,  the  inner  become  yellow  green  tipped  with  red.  One  and 
a  half  to  two  inches  long  before  they  fall. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  digitately  compound.  Leaflets  seven,  obovate, 
five  to  seven  inches  long,  wedge-shaped  at  base,  serrate,  acute  or 

54 


SWEET   BUCKEYE 


Sweet  Buckeye,  Aiscnliis  octainira. 
Leaflets  4'  to  7'  long. 


HORSE-CHESTNUT    FAMILY 

acuminate,  feather-veined  ;  midrib  and  primary  veins  prominent. 
They  come  out  of  the  bud  condupHcate,  woolly,  brownish  green, 
drooping  ;  when  full  grown  are  dark  green,  thick,  rough  above, 
paler  green  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  a  rusty  yellow.  Peti- 
oles long,  grooved,  swollen  at  the  base,  sometimes  chaffy  at  the 
point  the  leaflets  diverge. 

Flowers.  — IslTiy,  June.  Terminal,  polygamo-moncecious,  white, 
unilateral,  borne  in  upright  thyrsoid  panicles;  pedicles  jointed,  four 
to  six-flowered. 

Calyx. — Campanulate,  gibbous,  five-lobed,  lobes  unequal,  imbri- 
cate in  bud  ;   disk  hypogynous,  annular,  lobed. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  imbricate  in  bud,  alternate  with  calyx  lobes, 
more  or  less  unequal,  with  claws,  nearly  hypogynous,  spreading, 
white,  spotted  with  yellow  and  red. 

Stamens. — Seven,  inserted  within  the  hypogynous  disk  ;  filaments 
thread-like,  exserted,  curved  ;  anthers  introrse,  two-celled  ;  cells 
opening  longitudinally. 

Pistils. — Ovary  superior,  three-celled  ;  style  thread-like  ;  stigma 
pointed  ;   ovules  two. 

Fruit. — A  coriaceous  capsule,  globular,  rough,  prickly,  three  or 
two  or  one-celled  by  suppression,  loculicidally  three-valved.  Seeds 
or  nuts  solitary  in  each  cell,  brown,  shining,  with  a  large  round  pale 
scar,  or  hilum.  October.  Embryo  fills  the  seed ;  cotyledons  very 
thick  and  fleshy,  remaining  underground  in  germination. 

The  Horse-chestnut  m  the  earlier  weeks  of  May  is  a  sight  for  gods  and 
men.  — Philip  Gilbert  Hamerton, 

No  knowledge  of  technical  terms  is  necessary  to  enaVjle  one  to  pull  apart 
one  of  the  great  horse-chestnut  buds,  to  notice  the  water-proof  varnish  on  the 
outside,  the  scale  armor  just  within,  the  soft  downy  padding  which  protects  the 
minute  leaves  and  the  tip  of  the  stem  from  sudden  changes  of  temperature,  to 
see  that  leaves  or  flower  cluster  are  already  formed  in  miniature  ready  to 
burst  their  covering  when  the  favorable  time  shall  come. — George  D.  Pierce. 

Our  well-known  Horse-chestnut  is  a  native  of  Greece  and 
began  to  be  cultivated  throughout  Europe  in  the  seventeenth 
century.  Standing  alone  and  allowed  to  attain  its  natural 
shape  it  becomes  a  stately  tree.  The  trunk  is  erect,  and 
the  branches  come  out  with  such  regularity  that  it  develops 
a  superb  cone-like  head.  The  branches  almost  invariably 
take  the  compound  curve,  upward  from  the  trunk,  downward 
as  the  branch  lengthens,  and  upward  at  the  tip. 

The  spray  is  clumsy,  and  in  winter  each  twig  is  finished 
by  a  large  terminal  bud  an   inch  or  more  long,  which  bears 

5^ 


HORSE-CHESTNUT 


Spray  of  Horse-chestnut,  .^Isculiis  hippocastaiiHui. 

Leaflets  3'  to  7'  long. 


HORSE-CHESTNUT    FAMILY 

within  its  scales  the  leaves  and  flowers  of  the  coming 
year. 

These  buds  are  gummy  and  resinous  all  the  time,  but 
when  February  comes  and  spring  is  in  the  air,  they  feel  its 
influence  afar  and  glisten  and  glitter  in  the  sunlight.  When 
the  warm  days  really  come  the  resinous  coats  drop  off  and 
the  leaves — tiny,  downy,  green  babies,  done  up  in  woolly 
blankets — come  out  with  infancy  written  on  every  line  of 
their  drooping  surfaces. 

The  gray  hoss-chestnut's  leetle  hands  unfold 
Softer'n  a  baby's  be  at  three  days  old. 

Not  until  they  are  full  grown  are  they  able  to  hold  them- 
selves horizontal.  The  growth  of  the  leaves  and  shoots  is 
extremely  rapid. 

The  flowers  of  the  Horse-chestnut  are  superb,  and  a  fine 
tree  in  full  bloom  is  a  magnificent  sight.  The  flower  clusters 
are  what  the  botanists  call  a  thyrsus.  When  a  single  flower 
stands  upon  its  own  stem  it  is  said  to  be  solitary.  When 
this  stem  becomes  a  central  axis  and  bears  smaller  stems 
along  its  length  the  result  is  a  raceme.  When  these  sec- 
ondary stems  themselves  branch,  the  raceme  becomes  a 
panicle,  and  when  this  panicle  stiffens  and  holds  itself  erect 
it  becomes  technically  a  thyrsus.  A  well-known  example  is 
the  flower  cluster  of  the  common  lilac. 

It  is  always  a  surprise  that  there  should  be  so  few  nuts 
produced  from  such  an  abundance  of  bloom,  for  in  spite  of 
all  this  floral  display  each  cluster  produces  but  two  or  three 
fruit  balls,  and  some  of  them  not  any.  The  reason  is  that 
very  few  of  these  flowers  are  fertile,  the  most  of  them  have 
stamens  only,  with  an  aborted  pistil  which  cannot  produce 
fruit.     The  fertile  blossoms  are  at  the  base  of  the  cluster. 

The  round,  prickly,  fruit  balls  split  open  when  autumn 
comes  and  show  themselves  to  be  lined  with  a  strong  white 
covering  ;  they  are  partitioned  in  the  middle  and  contain 
two  nuts,  which  look  in  color,  markings,  and  polish  for  all 
the  world  like  a  bit  of  well-rubbed  mahogany. 

58 


HORSE-CHESTNUT 


Horse-chestnut,  Aisculus  hip 
pocastamim.  Fruit  ij^ 
to  2'  long. 


This  nut  shares  with  the  potato,  in  the  minds  of  many 
people,  the  occult  power  of  being  able  to  cure  rheumatism 
by  being  carried  on  the  person  of  the  sufferer. 

The  tree  is  subject  to  a  serious  disease,  now  common  and 
widely  spread  throughout  the  northern 
United  States,  which  is  due  to  a  fun- 
gus.    This    appears    upon    the  leaf  in 
early  summer  in  the  form  of  a  yellow 
discoloration    with  a   reddish    margin. 
Later,  the  patches  become  quite  brown, 
giving    the    leaves  the    appearance   of 
having    been    scorched   by  fire,  some- 
times extending  from  the  midrib  to  the 
margin  of   the  leaflets.     In  time  they 
shrivel  and  fall,  leaving  the  tree  almost  leafless  in  midsum- 
mer.    The  liability  to  this  disease   is  a  serious  objection  to 
the  tree. 

The  name  Horse-chestnut,  which  is  only  a  literal  transla- 
tion of  the  specific  Latin  name  hippocastauum,  has  been  ac- 
counted for  in  many  ways.  The  obvious  fact  that  the  scar 
of  the  leaf-stem  really  looks  like  the  imprint  of  a  horse's 
hoof  seems  the  most  reasonable  explanation  of  the  name  ; 
many  plants  have  been  named  for  less. 

The  finest  plantation  of  Horse-chestnuts  in  the  world  is 
that  of  Bushey  Park  near  Hampton  Court,  the  ancient  pal- 
ace of  Cardinal  Wolsey.  Five  rows  of  trees  stand  on  each 
side  of  the  avenue,  and  when  these  trees  are  in  bloom  the 
daily  papers  announce  the  fact  and  all  London  goes  out  to 
see  the  sight. 

The  Red  Horse-chestnut,  ^Esciilus  rubiciiuda^  conmion  in 
our  gardens,  is  a  tree  of  unknown  origin.  Professor  Sargent 
inclines  to  the  belief  that  it  is  a  hybrid  between  the  common 
Horse-chestnut,  Jis.  Jiippocasta)ium  and  .Es.  pavia  of  the 
southern  states.  It  resembles  the  former  in  its  leaves  and 
the  latter  in  its  flowers. 


ACERACE^— MAPLE   FAMILY 

STRIPED    MAPLE.     MOOSEWOOD 

Acer  pen7isylvdnic7im. 

A  small  tree,  thirty  or  forty  feet  high,  with  short  trunk,  slender 
upright  branches  ;  often  much  smaller  and  scrubby.  Loves  the 
shade  and  forms  much  of  the  undergrowth  of  the  forests  of  New 
England  and  lower  Canada.     Roots  fibrous. 

Bark. — Reddish  brown,  marked  longitudinally  with  broad  pale 
stripes,  and  roughened  with  numerous,  horizontal,  oblong  excres- 
cences. The  branchlets  are  pale  greenish  yellow  ;  later,  reddish 
brown  and  finally  striped  like  the  trunk. 

\Vi)iter  Buds. — Red.  The  terminal  bud  when  it  contains  an  in- 
florescence is  half  an  inch  long.  Axillary  buds  much  shorter. 
Scales  enlarge  when  spring  growth  begins  ;  the  inner  scales  be- 
come an  inch  and  a  half  to  two  inches  long,  changing  to  yellow  or 
rose  before  they  fall. 

Wood. —  Pale  brown,  sapwood  still  paler;  light,  soft,  close- 
grained.      Sp.  gr.,  0.5299;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  33.02  lbs. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  simple,  five  lo  six  inches  long,  palmately 
three-nerved,  rounded  or  cordate  at  the  base,  doubly  serrate,  three- 
lobed  at  the  apex,  the  short  lobes  contracted  into  tapering  serrate 
points.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  thin,  pale  rose  color,  and 
downy  ;  when  full  grown  are  smooth,  except  some  russet  hairs  at  the 
axils  of  the  nerves,  bright  green  above,  paler  beneath.  In  autumn 
they  turn  a  clear  bright  yellow.  Petiole  long,  grooved,  with  en- 
larged base. 

Flowers. — May,  when  leaves  are  nearly  grown,  polygamo-monoe- 
cious,  yellow.  Borne  in  slender,  drooping,  long-stemmed  racemes  ; 
staminate  and  pistillate  flowers  usually  in  dilTerent  racemes.  Ped- 
icels thread-like. 

Calyx. — Five-parted,  lobes  linear  or  obovate.     Disk  annular. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  inserted  on  the  l)ase  of  the  disk,  obovate,  as 
long  as  the  sepals,  bright  yellow,  imbricate  in  bud. 

60 


STRIPED    MAPLE 


Striped  Maple,  Acer  pennsykanicum. 

Leaves  5'  to  b'  long. 


MAPLE   FAMILY 


Stamens. — Seven  or  eight  in  the  staminate  flowers,  rudimentary 
in  the  pistillate.  Hypogynous;  filaments  short;  anthers  introrse, 
two-celled  ;   cells  opening  longitudinally. 

P/.y///.— Rudimentary  in  staminate  flowers.  In  pistillate  flowers, 
ovary  superior,  purplish  brown,  downy,  two-celled,  compressed  con- 
trary to  the  dissepiment,  wing-margined  ;  style  short ;  stigmas  two, 
recurved  and  spreading  ;  ovules  two  in  each  cell,  one  of  which  aborts. 

Fruit. — Two  samaras  united  forming  a  maple  key.  Borne  in  long 
drooping  racemes,  smooth,  with  thin  spreading  wings  three-fourths  to 
an  inch  long  ;  on  one  side  of  each  nutlet  is  a  small  cavity.  Seeds  dark 
reddish  brown.     September.     Cotyledons  thin,  irregularly  plicate. 

This  maple  is  a  mountain  tree.  It  has  no  special  economic 
value,  but  its  beauty  is  its  sufficient  "  excuse  for  being."  The 
delicate  and  exquisite  coloring  of  opening  foliage  is  too  often 
lost  upon  the  heedless  observer,  unless 
something  appears  so  striking  that  it 
cannot  be  ignored.  But  in  the  spring- 
time this  dryad  of  a  tree,  slender,  deli- 
cate, clothed  in  a  misty  rosy  sheen  of 
buds  and  opening  leaves,  compels  every 
passer-by  to  admire 
its  beauty.  Later  its 
yellow  flowers  hang  in 
long,  graceful,  droop- 
ing racemes  and  are 
succeeded  by  large 
showy  keys  with  pale 
green,  divergent 
wings.  Its  leaves  are 
the  largest  of  all  our 
maples. 

The  New  England 
name  Moosewood  re- 
fers to  the  fact  that 
the  bark  and  branch- 
lets  are  the  favorite 
food   of    the    moose. 


Keys  of  Striped  Maple,  Acer  pemisylvaitkum. 


Emerson    says   that    in    their   "  winter    beats "    this   tree   is 
always   found    completely    stripped.     Evidently   the   moose 

62 


MOUNTAIN    MAPLE 


Friiitint;  Spray  of  iWountain  Maple.  .-/r<7   spicatnm. 

Leaves  4'  to  5'  long.     Fuut  halt  grown. 


MAPLE    FAMILY 

knows  a  good  tiling  when  he  finds  it,  for  the  young  and  ten- 
der shoots  are  tilled  with  saccharine  juice,  which  he  fully 
appreciates. 

It  is  now  well  known  by  botanists  that  the  headquarters  of 
the  maples  is  not  in  America,  but  in  Asia.  North  America 
has  but  nine  species,  China  and  Japan  have  over  thirty.  It 
is  estimated  that  fully  one-third  of  the  deciduous  forests  of 
Japan  is  composed  of  different  species  of  maples.  Professor 
Sargent  records  that  among  these  maples  is  one  barely  dis- 
tinguishable from  our  Acer poinsylvanicum. 

MOUNTAIN    MAPLE 

Acer  spicatiini. 

A  bushy  tree  sometimes  thirty  feet  high,  more  often  a  shrub. 
Flourishes  in  the  shade  and  forms  much  of  the  undergrowth  of  the 
forests.  Ranges  from  lower  St.  Lawrence  River  to  northern  Min- 
nesota and  region  of  the  Saskatchewan  River;  south  through  the 
northern  states  and  along  the  Appalachian  Mountains  to  Georgia, 
Roots  fibrous. 

Bark. — Reddish  brown,  slightly  furrowed.  Branchlets  terete, 
at  first  gray  and  downy,  then  reddish,  later,  gray  again  and  at  last 
brown. 

Wood. — Pale  reddish  brown,  sapwood  paler  ;  light,  soft,  close- 
grained.     Sp.  gr.,  0.5330;   weight  of  cu.  ft.,  33.22  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Terminal  flower  bud  an  eighth  of  an  inch  long, 
tomentose  ;  leaf  buds  smaller,  acute,  red  ;  scales  enlarge  when 
spring  growth  begins  ;  the  inner  scales  lengthen  until  they  are  an 
inch  or  more  long,  become  pale  and  papery  before  they  fall. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  simple,  palniately-lobed,  sometimes  slightly 
five-lobed  ;  conspicuously  three-nerved  with  prominent  veinlets. 
Four  to  five  inches  long,  cordate  or  truncate  at  base,  serrate  ;  lobes 
acute  or  acuminate.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  pale  green,  very 
woolly  on  the  under  surface  ;  when  full  grown  are  smooth  above 
and  covered  with  whitish  down  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn 
scarlet  and  orange.  Petioles  long,  slender,  with  enlarged  base, 
scarlet  in  midsummer. 

Flowers. — June,  after  the  leaves  are  full  grown,  Polygamo-mo- 
noecious,  greenish  yellow;  small,  borne  in  upright,  slightly  com- 
pound, long,  hairy,  terminal  racemes,  five  to  six  inches  long  ;  the 
sterile  at  the  end  of  the  raceme  and  the  fertile  at  the  base.  Pedicels 
thread-like. 

64 


MOUNTAIN    MAPLE 

Calyx. — Five-lobed,  lobes  obovate,  downy,  much  shorter  than 
the  petals  ;  disk  annular. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  linear-spatulate,  greenish  yellow,  imbricate 
in  bud. 

Stamens. — Seven  to  eight,  inserted  on  the  disk,  filaments  thread- 
like, exserted  in  the  sterile  and  abortive  in  the  fertile  flowers  ;  an- 
thers oblong,  attached  at  base,  introrse,  two-celled  ;  cells  opening 
longitudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  tomentose,  two-lobed,  two-celled,  com- 
pressed contrary  to  the  dissepiment,  wing-margined  ;  style  colum- 
nar ;  stigma  two-lobed.  Ovules  two  in  each  cell,  one  of  which 
aborts.     In  sterile  flowers  the  pistil  becomes  a  tuft  of  white  hairs. 

Fruit. — Two  samaras  united,  forming  a  maple  key  ;  bright  red 
in  July,  brown  in  autumn  ;  smooth,  borne  in  a  pendulous  raceme. 
Wings  more  or  less  divergent.  Seeds  dark  brown.  September. 
Cotyledons  thick  and  fleshy. 


The  Mountain  Maple  is  another  example  of  a  tree  that  has 
accepted  its  home  in  the  shade  of  other 
trees.  It  grows  on  moist  rocky  hillsides 
and  ranges  across  the  continent  westward 
to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  northward  to  the 
valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence  River,  and 
southward  to  Georgia.  At  the  north  it 
is  a  shrub,  often  seen  growing  by  the  sick- 
of  a  mountain  road.  It  is  our  one  maple 
that  bears  an  upright  raceme  of  flowers, 
but  when  the  flowers  have  given  place  to 
fruit  the  raceme  droops. 

The  fruits  of  all  the  maples  are  very 
similar.  An  acorn  is  no  more  the  char- 
acteristic fruit  of  the  oaks  than  the  maple 
key  is  of  the  maples.  This  is  a  double 
samara,  composed  of  two  carpels,  separ- 
able from  a  small  persistent  axis  ;  these 
carpels  are  compressed  laterally,  and 
each  is  produced  into  a  reticulated  wing.  Keys  of  Mountain  Maple, 
1  hese  wmgs  are  thick  on  the  lower  mar- 
gin, but  very  thin  and  papery  on  the  upper.  Th.e  keys  do 
not  fly   as  they  would  were   they  better  balanced,  but  they 


MAPLE    FAMILY 

launch  the  seeds  some  distance  from  the  parent  tree  and  so 
perform  their  part  in  the  economy  of  nature. 


SUGAR  MAPLE.  ROCK  MAPLE. 

Acer  bdrbatiim.     Acer  sacc/idritm. 

Widely  distributed  and  abundant  throughout  eastern  North 
America  in  rich  uplands  and  intervale.  Grows  rapidly  with  a  large 
fibrous  root  which  at  first  is  near  the  surface  but  finally  penetrates 
deep.  In  the  forest  often  reaches  the  height  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty  feet.  Produces  most  of  the  maple  sugar  of  commerce.  A 
variety,  the  Black  Maple,  A.  sacchariim  nigrum,  is  recognized. 

Bark. — On  young  trees  and  large  limbs  light  gray,  smooth  and 
slightly  furrowed  ;  on  old  trees  dark,  with  deep  longitudinal  furrows, 
shaggy.  Branchlets  green,  later  yellowish  brown,  shining,  marked 
with  pale  lenticels,  finally  pale  brown. 

Wood. — Light  brown,  tinged  with  red  ;  heavy,  hard,  strong,  tough 
and  close-grained,  capable  of  a  fine  polish.  Much  used  in  in- 
terior furnishing  of  buildings,  manufacture  of  furniture,  handles  of 
tools  ;  has  a  high  fuel  value.  Curled  and  bird's-eye  are  accidental 
varieties.     Sp.  gr.,  0.6912  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  43.08  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Purplish,  quarter  of  an  inch  long,  acute.  Scales 
enlarge  when  spring  growth  begins  ;  the  inner  scales  become  an  inch 
and  a  half  long,  downy  and  bright  yellow  before  they  fall. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  simple,  three  to  five  inches  long  and  of  greater 
breadth.  Of  five  diverging  lobes  which  are  separated  by  rounded 
sinuses.  The  two  lower  are  smaller  and  shorter  than  the  others, 
each  lobe  tapers  to  a  slender  point  and  each  contains  a  primary 
vein.  Base,  heart-shaped  by  broad  or  narrow  sinus,  or  truncate,  or 
wedge-shaped.  Margin  sparingly  toothed.  They  come  out  of  the 
bud  tawny,  coated  with  tomentum,  when  full  grown  are  bright  or 
dark  green  on  upper  surface,  pale  green  on  lower.  In  autumn  they 
turn  crimson,  scarlet,  orange  and  clear  yellow.  Petioles  long,  slen- 
der, often  reddish. 

Flowers. — May.  Polygamo-monoecious  or  dioecious.  Greenish 
yellow,  appearing  with  the  leaves  in  umbel-like  corymbs  from  termi- 
nal leafy  buds  and  lateral  leafless  ones.  Sterile  and  fertile  flow^ers 
are  in  separate  clusters  on  the  same  or  on  different  trees,  fertile 
flowers  terminal  and  sterile  usually  lateral.  Pedicels  hairy,  thread- 
like, one  and  a  half  to  three  inches  long. 

G?/K-f.^Campanulate,  five-lobed,  lobes  imbricate  in  bud,  hairy. 

Corolla:. — Wanting. 

66 


SUGAR    MAPLE 


Sugar  Maple,  Acer  saccharum. 

Leaves  3'  to  5'  long. 


MAPLE    FAMILY 

Stamens. — Seven  to  eight  inserted  on  the  disk,  hairy  ;  filaments 
long  in  the  sterile  flowers,  short  in  the  fertile  ones.  Anthers  introrse, 
two-celled  ;  cells  opening  longitudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  hairy,  two-celled,  compressed  contrary  to 
the  dissepiments,  wing-margined  ;  style  of  two  long,  exserted,  stig- 
matic  lobes,  united  at  base  only  ;  ovules  two  in  each  cell,  one  of 
which  aborts. 

Fruit. — Two  samaras  united  forming  a  maple  key.  Borne  in 
clusters  on  long  pendulous  footstalks.  Wings  vary  from  one-half 
to  one  inch  long,  brown,  thin,  divergent.  One  capsule  of  the  key  is 
usually  empty.  Seeds  reddish  brown.  September.  Cotyledons 
thick,  leaf-like. 

South  America  possesses  the  Milk  Tree,  India  the  Bread  Tree,  but  it  is 
reserved  as  a  sort  of  climatic  paradox  for  our  temperate  north  to  furnish  the 
very  top  of  luxury  in  the  shape  of  the  Sugar  Tree.  A  man  who  could  persuade 
these  three  staple  producers  to  grow  on  his  plantation  could  henceforth  live 
independent  of  the  milkman,  the  baker,  and  the  grocer.  It  would  be  easy  work 
to  gather  the  yield  of  the  two  tropical  trees,  but  the  sweet  of  the  maple  would 
still  have  to  be  gained  by  the  sweat  of  the  brow.  Besides  its  delicious  sweet- 
ness, there  is  a  rich,  almost  oleaginous  quality  in  maple  syrup  which  suggests 
what  the  maple  nut  would  have  been  if  Nature  had  said,  "  Consider  the  ways 
of  the  hickory,  beech,  and  chestnut,  how  thrifty  and  hospitable  !  Their  bounty 
keeps  my  birds  and  my  four-footed  groundlings  all  winter  through.  Do  thou 
ripen  a  kernel  of  thine  own  more  toothsome  than  theirs."  What  Nature  did 
say  was  briefly  and  practically,  "  Invest  in  sugar."  More  cold,  more  sweet, 
seems  to  be  the  law  governing  the  saccharine  supply,  as  though  there  were 
warmth  and  food  in  the  sugar  principle,  and  as  though  it  were  excited  by  keen 
weather  to  greater  activity  in  order  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  tree.  The  sap  of 
all  wood  in  early  spring  is  perceptibly  sweet.  If  the  discharge  of  sap  from 
other  trees  were  as  free  as  from  the  maple  it  might  be  profitable  to  tap  them 
also,  as  the  butternut,  for  example.  It  is  plain  that  Nature  drops  a  httle  sugar 
in  the  milk  on  which  she  rears  her  nursery.  All  young  ones  love  sweets,  even 
to  the  baby  leaves  on  the  old  trees.  —Edith  Thomas. 

Unquestionably,  the  Sugar  Maple  ranks  among  the  finest 
of  American  forest  trees.  It  is  both  useful  and  beautiful. 
When  young  its  full  leafy  head  is  often  a  pure  oval.  In  the 
forest  it  frequently  rises  seventy  feet  without  a  branch,  and 
spreads  its  leaves  to  the  sunlight  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  above  its  base.  When  growing  in  the  open  it  some- 
times develops  into  a  great  cylindrical  column,  sometimes  its 
head  becomes  a  broad  dome.  The  foliage  is  always  dense. 
Erect  in  youth  and  maturity,  in  old  age  its  trunk  is  often 
gnarled  and  disfigured. 

68 


SUGAR    MAPLE 

The  Sugar  Maple  makes  up  a  great  part  of  the  native  for- 
est of  New  England  and  the  middle  states.  In  the  race  of 
life  it  has  scored  two  points  ;  it  has  learned  to  labor  and  to 
wait.  It  can  grow  as  tall  as  any  of  its  forest  companions 
and  it  also  knows  how  to  prosper  while  young,  in  the  shade. 
Consequently,  there  is  always  a  young  maple  in  training 
ready  to  take  the  place  of  any  dead  or  dying  tree.  This 
characteristic  alone  has  enabled  it  to  take  precedence  of 
other  trees. 

The  leaves  come  out  of  the  buds  tawny  and  drooping,  nor 
are  they  able  to  hold  themselves  out  firm  until  they  have 
attained  nearly  full  size. 
The  flowers  appear  with 
the  leaves,  are  greenish 
yellow  and  borne  in  clus- 
ters on  thread-like  hairy 
pedicels,  two  and  a  half 
inches  long.  The  fruit  or 
maple  key  ripens  in  early 
autumn,  and  although   it 

^  Key  of  Sugar  Maple,  tAcer  saccnarum. 

appears   to   be    fully   de- 
veloped, one  rarely  finds  perfect  seed   in   each  of  the   two 
divisions. 

This  is  the  tree  which  produces  the  maple  sugar  of  com- 
merce. The  testimony  of  early  travellers  shows  that  the 
Indians,  like  the  moose  and  the  woodpecker,  knew  all  about 
the  sweetness  of  the  maple  sap,  but  it  is  doubtful  if  they 
were  able  to  make  maple  sugar  before  the  coming  of  the 
Europeans  ;  however,  the  making  of  maple  sugar  was  an 
established  industry  among  them  during  the  last  half  of  the 
seventeenth  century.  Sugar-making  begins  with  the  upward 
flow  of  the  crude  sap  in  February  or  March  and  continues 
until  the  buds  begin  to  swell;  when  this  occurs  the  sap  will 
not  run  freely  and  thoroughly  changes  in  character.  Trees 
twenty  or  thirty  years  old  are  considered  the  most  productive, 
though  there  are  instances  of  trees  which  have  yielded  sugar 
every  year  for  a  century  and  are  still  vigorous  and  fruitful. 

69 


MAPLE   FAMILY 

Much  of  the  splendor  of  our  radiant  forests  in  early 
autumn  is  due  to  the  brilliant  coloring  of  the  Sugar  Maple. 
It  glows  in  red  which  deepens  into  crimson,  it  flames  in  yel- 
low that  darkens  into  orange.  These  wonderful  leaves  will 
show  colors  as  pure  as  any  on  the  finest  porcelain  ;  a  dark 
green  leaf  will  show  a  single  spot  of  crimson,  a  dark  red 
bears  a  single  lobe  of  rose  pink.  The  next  will  have  a  patch- 
work of  yellow  and  purple  and  scarlet,  like  a  palette  set  for  a 
sunset  picture.  Sometimes  a  single  branch  will  turn  bright 
scarlet  while  all  the  rest  of  the  tree  remains  green.  Indi- 
vidual trees  vary  in  time  and  manner  of  change,  and  to  some 
degree  these  peculiarities  are  fixed  ;  for  example,  certain 
trees  always  turn  yellow,  others  always  turn  red,  while  there 
are  others  that  vary  with  changing  conditions. 

There  seems  to  be  a  very  general  popular  impression  that 
the  colors  of  the  leaves  in  autumn  are  dependent  upon  the 
frosts.  Careful  observation  does  not  sustain  this  view.  It 
is  true  that  the  brilliancy  of  the  autumnal  coloring  varies; 
but  the  changes  are  now  referred  rather  to  the  character  of 
the  preceding  summer  than  to  the  frosts  of  autumn.  If  the 
summer  has  been  rainy,  keeping  the  leaves  full  of  sap  and 
the  cuticle  thin  and  distended,  the  autumn  tints  are  brilliant  ; 
but  if  the  summer  has  been  dry  the  tints  are  dull. 

Two  great  problems  are  connected  with  the  fall  of  the 
leaves  of  deciduous  trees.  One,  why  do  they  take  on  such 
gorgeous  colors  ;  and  the  other,  how  is  it  they  fall  leaving 
no  open  wounds  behind  ?  What  are  the  morphological  and 
physiological  changes  which  produce  these  results  ?  The 
following  is  perhaps  as  clear  a  statement  of  the  present 
opinion  of  biologists  as  can  be  given  in  popular  form  : 

The  casting  of  the  leaf  is  not  a  sudden  and  quick  response  to  any  single 
change  in  environmental  conditions,  but  is  brought  about  with  a  complex  inter- 
play of  processes  begun  days  or  perhaps  weeks  before  any  external  changes 
are  to  be  seen.  The  leaf  is  rich  in  two  classes  of  substances,  one  of  which  is  of 
no  further  benefit  to  it,  and  another  which  it  has  constructed  at  great  expense 
of  energy,  and  which  is  in  a  form  of  the  highest  possible  usefulness  to  the  plant. 
To  this  class  belong  the  compounds  in  the  protoplasm,  the  green  color  bodies, 
and  whatever  surplus  food  may  not  have  been  previously  conveyed  away.    The 

70 


SUGAR    MAPLE 


Trunk  of  Sugar  Maple,  Acer  saccbaii 


MAPLE   FAMILY 

substances  which  the  plant  must  needs  discard  are  in  the  form  ol  nearly  insolu- 
able  crystals,  and  by  remaining  in  position  'n  the  leaf  drop  with  it  to  the  ground. 

The  plastic  substances  within  the  leaf  which  would  be  a  loss  to  the  plant  if 
thrown  away  undergo  quite  a  different  series  of  changes.  These  substances  are 
in  the  extremest  parts  of  the  leaf,  and  to  pass  into  the  plant  body  must  penetrate 
many  hundreds  of  membranes  of  diffusion  into  the  long  conducting  cells  around 
the  ribs  or  nerves,  and  then  down  into  the  twigs  or  stems.  The  successful 
retreat  of  this  great  mass  of  valuable  matter  is  not  a  simple  problem.  These 
substances  contain  nitrogen  as  a  part  of  their  compounds,  and  as  a  consequence 
are  very  readily  broken  down  when  exposed  to  the  sunlight.  In  the  living 
normal  leaf  the  green  color  forms  a  most  effective  shield  from  the  action  of  the 
sun,  but  w^hen  the  retreat  is  begun,  one  of  the  first  steps  results  in  the  disinte- 
gration of  the  chlorophyll.  This  would  allow  the  fierce  rays  of  the  September 
sun  to  strike  directly  through  the  broad  expanse  of  the  leaf,  destroying  all 
within  were  not  other  means  provided  for  protection.  In  the  first  place,  when 
the  chlorophyll  breaks  down,  among  the  resulting  substances  formed  is  cyano- 
phyll  which  absorbs  the  sun's  rays  in  the  same  general  manner  as  the  chloro- 
phyll. In  addition  the  outer  layer  of  cells  of  the  leaf  contains  other  pigments, 
some  of  which  have  been  masked  by  the  chlorophyll  and  others  which  are 
formed  as  decomposition  products,  so  that  the  leaf  exhibits  outwardly  a  gor- 
geous panoply  of  colors  in  reds,  yellows,  and  bronzes  that  make  up  the  autumnal 
display. 

At  a  time  previous  to  the  beginning  of  the  withdrawal  of  the  contents  of  the 
leaf  or  the  formation  of  the  autumnal  colors,  preparations  have  been  steadily  in 
progress  for  cutting  away  the  leaf  when  the  proper  time  should  arrive.  At 
some  point  near  the  base  of  the  leaf-stalk  the  formation  of  a  layer  of  special 
ti^ssue  had  begun  between  the  woody  cylinder  in  the  centre  and  the  thin  epi- 
dermis. When  the  time  for  the  casting  of  the  leaf  arrives,  this  special  tissue 
grows  rapidly,  pushing  apart  or  cutting  the  cells  which  have  held  the  leaf 
rigidly  in  position  in  such  manner  that  finally  the  leafstalk  at  this  point  consists 
of  the  brittle  cylinder  of  wood  surrounded  by  the  loosely  adherent  cells  of  this 
newly  formed  layer  of  separation.  The  merest  touch  or  breath  of  air  will  split 
the  layer  of  separation,  break  the  wood,  and  allow  the  leaf  to  fall  to  the  ground. 

— D.  T.  MacDougal. 

The  great  leaf  fall  of  the  northern  states  comes  some  time 
between  the  fifteenth  and  twenty-fifth  of  October.  As  has 
been  explained  the  leaves  have  virtually  parted  company 
with  the  tree  some  time  before  ;  they  have  been  falling 
since  the  first,  and  the  ground  is  strewn  with  them,  but  as 
you  look  at  the  trees  they  show  no  perceptible  diminution  of 
foliage.  But  about  the  third  week  of  October  something 
happens — it  may  be  a  wind  or  rain  storm,  a  heavy  frost,  or 
two  or  three  days  of  excessively  hot  weather- — and  then  the 
leaves  come  pouring  down  in  showers,  and  though  the  oaks 

72 


SILVER    MAPLE 

remain  comparatively  untouched,  although  the  willows  are 
green  and  the  apple  trees  like  summer  ;  the  sword  has  fallen 
and  the  end  has  come.  Only  the  rear  guard  will  linger 
along  the  line,  beautiful  in  their  isolation,  pathetic  in  their 
loneliness. 

SILVER   MAPLE.     SOFT   MAPLE.     WHITE   MAPLE. 

Acer  saccharliiitm.     Acer  dasycdrpum. 

A  large  tree,  ninety  to  one  hundred  feet  in  height  with  a  trunk 
which  soon  divides  into  three  or  four  stout,  upright,  secondary  stems, 
forming  a  wide  spreading  head  with  drooping  branches.  Found 
abundantly  throughout  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi  where  it  is  one  of 
the  largest  and  most  common  of  river  trees  ;  rare  along  the  Atlantic 
coast.     Grows  rapidly.     Sap  produces  sugar. 

Bark.~\A^\.  gray,  smooth  until  the  tree  is  of  considerable  size. 
On  old  trees  reddish  brown,  more  or  less  furrowed,  the  surface  sep- 
arating into  large  loose  scales.  Branchlets  at  first  pale  green,  later 
dark  green,  finally  pale  chestnut  brown,  smooth,  shining,  at  last 
reddish  gray. 

Wood. — Cream,  faintly  tinged  with  brown  ;  hard,  strong,  close- 
grained,  rather  brittle.  Used  in  cabinet  work.  Sp.  gr.,  0.5269; 
weight  of  cu.  ft.,  32.84. 

Winter  Buds. — Flower  buds  aggregated,  obtuse,  red.  Leaf  buds 
one-fourth  an  inch  long,  red  ;  inner  scales  enlarge  when  spring 
growth  begins,  become  green  or  yellow  and  an  inch  long  before  they 
fall. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  simple,  five  to  seven  inches  long,  rather  less 
in  breadth.  Palmately  five-lobed  with  narrow  acute  sinuses  and 
acute  divisions.  The  middle  lobe  is  often  three-lobed.  Base  heart- 
shaped  or  truncate  ;  margin  coarsely  serrate  or  toothed.  Primary 
veins  conspicuous.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  pale  green  and 
downy,  when  full  grown  are  bright  pale  green  above,  silvery  white 
beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  pale  yellow.  Petioles  long,  slender, 
red,  drooping. 

Flowers.  —  March,  April.  Polygamo-monoecious  or  dia-cious. 
Before  the  leaves,  which  do  not  appear  until  fruit  is  nearly  grown. 
Greenish  yellow,  sessile  on  last  year's  wood  ;  borne  in  sessile  axillary 
fasicles. 

Crt//.r.— Campanulate,  slightly  five-lobed^   downy,  long  and  nar- 
row in  the  sterile,  short  and  broad  in  the  fertile  flowers. 
Corolla. — Wanting. 

73 


MAPLE    FAMILY 

Stamens. — Three  to  seven,  hypogynous  ;  filaments  long  and  slen- 
der in  the  sterile  flowers,  short  ni  the  fertile.  Anthers  reddish,  ob- 
long, two-celled  ;  cells  opening  longitudinally. 

Pistils. — In  sterile  flowers  rudimentary  ;  in  fertile,  ovary  borne  on 
narrow  disk,  superior,  downy,  two-lobed,  two-celled,  compressed 
contrary  to  the  dissepiment,  wing-margined  ;  styles  two,  united  at 
base  only,  long,  exserted,  red  ;  ovules  two  in  each  cell,  one  usually 
aborts. 

Fruit. — Two  samaras  united  forming  a  maple  key.  Borne  on 
slender  drooping  pedicels  an  inch  and  a  half  to  three  inches  long. 
Vary  in  length  from  one  and  one-half  to  three  inches.  Wings  di- 
vergent,  straight  or  curved,  three-fourths  of  an  inch  broad,   deep 


Staminate  and  Pistillate  Flowers  of  Silver  Maple,  'Acer  iaccharinnm. 


red  or  pale  chestnut  brown.  Seed  reddish  brown.  April,  May. 
Cotyledons  thin,  leaf-like.  Seed  germinates  as  soon  as  it  falls  to 
the  eround. 


Tke  seed  of  Acer  usually  ripens  in  the  autumn  and  germinates  the  fol- 
lowing spring.  The  seed  of  the  two  American  species  with  precocious  flowers, 
A.  rubrum  and  A.  Saccharifiian^  however,  ripens  at  the  end  of  a  few  weeks  after 
the  trees  flower,  and  germinates  at  once.  This  is  a  provision,  perhaps,  acquired 
by  these  species  to  insure  their  perpetuation  ;  they  grow  in  low,  wet  land,  often 
inundated  during  the  winter,  and  the  seed,  if  it  ripened  in  the  autumn  would 
often  lie  in  the  water  through  the  winter  and  be  in  danger  of  losing  its  vitality  ; 
but  it  reaches  the  ground  after  the  water  has  fallen  in  the  swamps  and  before 
the  exposed  surface  of  the  ground  has  become  baked  by  the  hot  sun  of  summer, 
that  is,  when  it  is  just  in  the  condition  to  insure  the  germination  of  seed. 

— Charles  S.  Sargent, 

74 


SILVER   MAPLE 


Silver  Maple,  Acer  saccharinu))i. 

Leaves  5'  to  7'  long. 


MAPLE    FAIVLILY 

The  Silver  Maple,  both  in  poise  and  outline,  suggests  the 
elm.  Its  trunk  divides  into  secondary  stems,  its  branches 
have  an  airy  upward  and  outward  sweep  and  its  terminal 
branchlets  are  slender  and  drooping  ;  then,  too,  the  bark  is 
often  shaggy  on  trunk  and  limbs,  making  the  resemblance 
still  greater.  The  finely  cut  leaves  hang  on  long  and  slender 
footstalks  and  sway  with  every  passing  breeze,  thus  showing 
the  silvery  whiteness  of  their  under  surface  and  giving  to  the 
foliage  a  delicacy  of  texture  all  its  own. 

The  tree  is  a  rapid  grower,  is  comparatively  free  from  seri- 
ous disease,  adapts  itself  to  a  great  variety  of  soils,  and  these 
characteristics  have  made  it  a  general  favorite  with  those 
who  desire  to  secure  shade  trees  with  as  little  delay  as  possi- 


Key  of  Silver  Maple,  >-^4cer  saccharinum. 

ble.  However,  it  does  not  flourish  on  dry  and  elevated 
ground,  and  should  never  be  planted  in  such  locations,  as  it 
soon  suffers,  the  branches  become  brittle  and  the  tree  in  time 
unsightly.  It  is  the  first  tree  to  blossom  in  early  spring, 
coming  out  a  week  or  two  before  either  the  red  maple  or  the 
elm  ;  in  fact  it  is  ready  to  open  its  buds  at  the  slightest  prov- 
ocation any  time  during  the  winter. 

The  fruit  grows  as  the  leaves  develop  and  ripens  in  early 
summer.  The  keys  are  large  with  long  stiff  wings  set  at 
wide  angles.  If  planted  they  will  produce  tiny  trees  before 
winter  comes. 

The  autumnal  tmt  of  the  Silver  Maple  often  varies  from 
the  usual  pale  dull  yellow  to  a  brilliant  yellow  and  scarlet. 

76 


RED   MAPLE 

RED  MAPLE.     SWAMP  MAPLE.     SOFT  MAPLE. 

Acer  rubrum. 

Generally  distributed  throughout  eastern  North  America.  Loves 
the  borders  of  streams  and  low  swamp  lands  which  it  sometimes 
covers  to  the  exclusion  of  other  trees.  Will  grow  when  planted  on 
rich,  well  dressed,  upland  soil.  Roots  large,  and  fibrous.  Grows 
rapidly.  Attains  the  height  of  eighty  to  one  hundred  feet  with  trunk 
three  to  four  feet  in  diameter.  Its  upright  branches  form  a  narrow 
head.     The  sap  will  produce  sugar,  but  not  abundantly. 

Bark. — Dark  gray,  divided  by  longitudinal  ridges,  the  surface 
separating  into  large  scales.  Branchlets  green  or  dark  red,  later 
bright  red  and  shining,  marked  by  many  white  lenticels,  finally 
they  become  light  gray  tinged  with  red,  sometimes  almost  white. 

Wood. — Light  brown  tinged  with  red,  sapwood  lighter  ;  heavy, 
close  grained.  Not  very  strong,  smooth  satiny  surface.  Presents 
curled  and  bird's  eye  varieties.  Used  for  cabinet  work,  is  suffi- 
ciently elastic  to  be  used  for  oars  ;  fuel  value  is  high.  Sp.  gr., 
0.6178;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  38.50  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Flower  buds  aggregated,  obtuse,  red.  Leaf  buds 
obtuse,  red,  one-eighth  of  an  inch  long.  The  scales  enlarge  when 
spring  growth  begins,  the  inner  become  three-quarters  of  an  inch 
long,  narrow,  and  bright  scarlet. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  simple,  two  to  six  inches  long,  rather  longer 
than  broad,  palmately  three  to  five-lobed,  lobes  separated  by  acute 
sinuses,  middle  lobe  longer  than  the  others  ;  lobes  irregularly  doubly 
serrate  or  toothed.  Base  more  or  less  heart-shaped  or  truncate; 
principal  nerves  conspicuous.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  pale  green 
and  downy,  when  full  grown  are  smooth,  bright  green  above,  whit- 
ish and  downy  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  scarlet  or  crimson. 
Petioles  long,  slender,  red  or  green. 

Flowers. — March,  April,  before  the  leaves.  Polygamo-monoecious, 
or  dioecious.  Rich  crimson  or  scarlet  or  dull  yellowish  red.  Borne 
on  the  branchlets  of  the  previous  year  in  few-flowered  fascicles,  on 
short  pedicels. 

Calyx. — Sepals  four  to  five,  oblong,  obtuse,  red,  imbricate  in  bud. 

Petals.— Yo\xx  to  five,  linear,  red,  imbricate  in  bud. 

Stamens. — Five  to  six,  scarlet  ;  filaments  slender,  exserted  in  the 
staminate,  included  in  the  pistillate  ;  anthers  oblong,  introrse,  two- 
celled  ;  cells  opening  longitudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  two-lobed,  two-celled,  compressed  con- 
trary to  the  dissepiments,  wing-margined,  smooth,  borne  on  a  narrow 
disk.  Styles  two,  united  for  a  short  distance,  then  separated  into 
long,  exserted,  stigmatic  lobes.     Ovules  two  in  each  cell. 

77 


MAPLE    FAMILY 

Fruit. — Two  samaras  united  forming  a  maple  key.  Borne  on 
drooping  stems  three  to  four  inches  long  ;  scarlet,  dark  red,  some- 
times brown  ;  wings  thin,  convergent  at  first,  divergent  when  full 
grown,  one-half  to  an  inch  long,  one-fourth  to  one-half  an  inch  broad. 
May,  June.  Seed  dark  red,  germinates  immediately  after  falling  to 
the  ground.     Cotyledons  thin. 

The  scarlet  maple-keys  betray, 
What  potent  blood  hath  modest  May. 

—Ralph  Waldo  Emerson. 

The  maple  crimsons  to  a  coral  reef. 

— James  Russell  Lowell. 

A  small  Red  Maple  has  grown,  perchance,  far  away  at  the  head  of  some  retired 
valley,  a  mile  from  any  road,  unobserved.  It  has  faithfully  discharged  all  the 
duties  of  a  maple  there,  all  winter  and  summer  neglected  none  of  its  economies, 
but  added  to  its  stature  in  the  virtue  which  belongs  to  a  maple,  by  a  steady 
growth  for  so  many  months,  and  is  nearer  heaven  than  it  was  in  the  spring.  It 
has  faithfully  husbanded  its  sap,  and  afforded  a  shelter  to  the  wandering  bird, 
has  long  since  ripened  its  seeds  and  committed  them  to  the  winds.  It  deserves 
well  of  mapledom.  Its  leaves  have  been  asking  it  from  time  to  time  in  a  whis- 
per, "  When  shall  we  redden  ?  "  and  now  in  this  month  of  September,  this  month 
of  travelling,  when  men  are  hastening  to  the  seaside,  or  the  mountains,  or  the 
lakes,  this  modest  maple,  still  without  budging  an  inch,  travels  in  its  reputa- 
tion—runs up  its  scarlet-flag  on  that  hillside,  which  shows  that  it  has  finished  its 
summer's  work  before  all  other  trees,  and  withdrawn  from  the  contest.  At  the 
eleventh  hour  of  the  year,  the  tree  which  no  scrutiny  could  have  detected  here 
when  it  was  most  industrious  is  thus,  by  the  tint  of  its  maturity,  by  its  very 
blushes,  revealed  at  last  to  the  careless  and  distant  traveller,  and  leads  his 
thoughts  away  from  the  dusty  road  into  those  brave  solitudes  which  it  inhabits  ;,it 
flashes  out  conspicuous  with  all  the  virtue  and  beauty  of  a  maple — Acer  rubrum. 
We  may  now  read  its  title,  or  rubric,  clear.     Its  virtues  not  its  sins  are  as  scarlet. 

—  Henry  D.  Thoreau. 


Never  was  a  tree  more  appropriately  named  than  the  Red 
Maple.  Its  first  blossom  flushes  red  in  the  April  sunlight,  its 
keys  ripen  scarlet  in  early  May,  all  summer  long  its  leaves 
swing  on  crimson  or  scarlet  stems,  its  young  twigs  flame  in 
the  same  colors  and  later,  amid  all  the  brilliancy  of  the  au- 
tumnal forest,  it  stands  pre-eminent  and  unapproachable. 

The  Red  Maple  shows  a  decided  tendency  to  vary  in  the 
shape  of  its  leaves.  For  this  reason  it  has  been  divided  into 
varieties,  but  these  have  been  given  up  because  the  charac- 
ters do  not  remain  constant.     Of  two  red  maples  standing 

78 


RED   MAPLE 


Red  Maple,  Acer  ruhniin. 
Leaves  2'  to  (/  loiiir. 


MAPLE    FAMILY 


side  by  side,  one  may  have  large,  thin,  five-lobed  leaves,  and 
the  other  small,  thick,  three-lobed  leaves,  or  both  forms  may 
be  found  on  different  parts  of  the  same 
tree,  and  sometimes  even  on  the  same 
branch. 

The  flowers  appear  very  early,  only 
those  of  the  silver  maple  precede  them. 
Perfect  flowers  occasionally  occur,  but 
generally  the  staminate  and  pistillate 
flowers  are  produced  on  separate  trees, 
although  a  branch  with  staminate  flow- 
ers can  be  found  on  a  tree  on  which  the 
flowers  are  pistillate,  and  individual  pistil- 
late clusters  on  a  staminate  branch.  If 
the  tree  is  very  red,  one  may  be  certain 
Key  of  Red  Maple,  -^cer  that  the  flowcrs  are  pistillate,  but  if  yel- 

nibnuii.  1-11 

lowish  they  are  stammate. 
All  the  maples  show  what  is  called  the  curled  and  bird's-eye 
varieties.  These  are  an  accidental  and  fortuitous  arrange- 
ment of  the  woody  fibre,  and  as  there  is  no  marked  outward 
indication  of  these  varieties,  only  experienced  woodsmen  can 
detect  them  in  the  living  tree,  which  they  do  from  some  slight 
peculiarities  of  the  bark.  It  is  said  that  these  forms  are 
found  only  in  old  trees.  Such  lumber  is  now  very  valuable 
for  the  interior  furnishings  of  rooms,  railway-cars,  and  steam- 
ship saloons.  How  many  such  trees  were  destroyed  in  the  early 
days  through  ignorance  or  indifference  no  one  knows.  I  re- 
call a  country  home  where  the  kitchen-stove  was  fed  one 
entire  winter  with  the  most  beautiful  curled  and  bird's-eye  ma- 
ple, carefully  cut  into  cordwood  eighteen  inches  in  length. 
Of  course  the  owner  knew  nothing  of  the  existence  of  these 
trees  until  they  confronted  him  in  his  woodpile,  and  his  anger 
and  dismay  may  be  imagined  as  he  bewailed  the  stupidity  of 
his  workmen. 


80 


NORWAY   MAPLE 


Fruiting  Spray  of  Norway  Maple,  y^cer  platamides. 

Leaves  y  to  5'  long. 


MAPLE    FAMILY 

NORWAY   MAPLE 

A  cer  platan  o)des 

The  beautiful  Norway  Maple  standing  by  the  curb-stone 
is  a  common  sight  in  our  city  streets.  Its  roots  strike  deep 
and  spread  laterally,  this  enables  it  to  hold  its  own  in  the 
struggle  with  city  environments.  It  comes  to  us  from 
Europe,  its  range  there  extending  from  Norway  to  Switzer- 
land. The  leaves  have  a  marked  resemblance  to  those  of 
the  sugar  maple,  in  form,  but  are  thicker  in  texture  and 
darker  in  color.  They  remain  upon  the  tree  fully  two  weeks 
longer  than  those  of  our  native  maples  and  become  yellow 
or  fall  with  little  change  of  color.  The  petioles  are  long  and 
when  broken  exude  an  acrid  milky  sap  which  quickly  coag- 
ulates. This  peculiarity  enables  one  to  determine  the  tree 
with  little  difficulty.  The  greenish  flowers  appear  with  the 
leaves  in  a  short  corymbose  raceme  ;  the  fruit,  also  borne  in 
short  racemes,  is  a  key  with  widely  divergent  wings. 

The  tree  reaches  the  height  of  sixty  feet,  develops  a  broad 
round  head,  and  becomes  strong  and  sturdy.  Its  winter 
buds  are  large  and  red  ;  its  branchlets  at  first  are  green, 
later  they  become  reddish  brown  and  shining. 


SYCAMORE   MAPLE 

Acer  psetido-plataiius 

This  most  beautiful  of  European  maples  is  also  planted  as 
an  ornamental  tree,  but  it  does  not  seem  to  take  kindly  to 
our  climate,  failing  to  become  either  large  or  long-lived  in 
the  United  States.  Its  leaves  resemble  those  of  the  sugar 
maple  in  general  form,  but  are  much  darker  green  in  color 
and  of  thicker  texture. 

The  green  flowers  appear  with  the  leaves,  are  about  the 
size  of  a  currant  blossom  and  borne  in  long,  drooping,  com- 

82 


SYCAMORE    MAPLE 


Fruiting  Spray  of  Sycamore  Maple,  Acer  pseudo-platanus. 

Leaves  3'  to  5'  long. 


MAPLE    FAMILY 

pound  clusters  ;  both  rachis  and  pedicels  are  hairy.  The 
keys  likewise  are  borne  in  pendulous  clusters,  their  wings  di- 
verge, but  are  not  as  divergent  as  those  of  the  Norway  Maple. 
Like  the  Norway  it  holds  its  leaves  two  weeks  longer  than 
our  native  species.  This  is  a  characteristic  of  all  our  accli- 
mated European  trees.  It  is  native  to  central  Europe  and 
was  brought  into  England  in  the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth, 
where  it  has  become  perfectly  acclimated. 

The  history  of  its  common  name  Sycamore  is  most  inter- 
esting. Sycamore  is  derived  from  two  Greek  words,  one 
meaning  fig  and  the  other  mulberry.  But  this  sycamore 
bears  neither  figs  nor  mulberries,  nor  does  its  fruit  in  any 
respect  resemble  either.  In  the  New  Testament  story  it  is 
said  that  Zaccheus  climbed  a  sycamore  tree  in  order  that  he 
might  better  see  Jesus  as  he  passed  by.  That  sycamore  was 
a  fig-tree,  common  enough  by  the  wayside  in  Palestine  and 
Egypt,  but  not  native  in  Europe.  The  interesting  question 
is  how  did  this  European  maple  get  the  name  of  the  eastern 
fig-tree  ?  Simply  through  word  transference.  In  the  twelfth 
and  thirteenth  centuries,  when  miracle  plays  were  produced 
in  all  the  churches  of  Europe  for  the  instruction  of  the  peo- 
ple, one  of  the  favorite  scenes  for  acting  was  the  flight  into 
Egypt  of  Joseph  and  Mary.  It  was  easily  put  upon  the 
stage.  One  legend  says  that  on  their  way  they  rested  under 
a  sycamore  tree.  But  no  sycamores  grew  in  the  countries 
where  these  plays  were  acted  and  so  this  maple  was  chosen 
to  take  its  place,  because  the  leaves  were  somewhat  like 
those  of  the  true  sycamore.  In  the  play  it  was  called  syca- 
more, and  naturally  the  people  began  to  call  it  sycamore,  and 
such  it  has  remained  to  this  day. 


84 


BOX  ELDER 


BOX  ELDER.  ASH-LEAVED  MAPLE 

Acer  negiindo. 

Distributed  across  the  continent,  abundant  throughout  the  Mis- 
sissippi valley  along  banks  of  streams  and  borders  of  swamps. 
Prefers  a  deep  rich  soil  and  attains  the  height  of  fifty  to  seventy  feet. 
The  trunk  often  divides  near  the  ground  into  a  number  of  stout  wide- 
spreading  branches.     Grows  rapidly. 

Bark. — Pale  gray  or  light  brown,  deeply  cleft  into  broad  ridges, 
scaly.  Branchlets  pale  green,  later  are  bright  green,  sometimes 
purplish  with  a  bloom,  lenticular  for  several  years. 

Wood. — Cream-white  ;  light,  soft,  close-grained,  not  strong  ;  used 
for  wooden  ware  and  paper  pulp.  Sp.  gr.,  0.4328  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft., 
26.97  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Terminal  buds  acute,  an  eighth  of  an  inch  long. 
Lateral  buds  obtuse.  The  inner  scales  enlarge  when  spring  growth 
begins  and  often  become  an  inch  long  before  they  fall. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  compound,  of  three  to  five  leaflets.  Leaflets 
two  to  four  inches  long,  two  to  three  inches  broad,  oval  or  ovate, 
rounded  or  wedge-shaped  at  base,  coarsely  and  irregularly  serrate, 
acute.  The  odd  leaflet  is  oftener  three-lobed  than  simple  ;  midrib 
and  veins  conspicuous.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  with  under  sur- 
face coated  with  tomentum,  when  full  grown  are  more  or  less  downy, 
bright  light  green  above,  paler  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  a 
pale  yellow.  Petioles  long,  slender,  two  or  three  inches  long,  bases 
enlarged  and  often  hairy.     Stipules  caducous. 

Flowers. — April,  before  the  leaves,  dioecious,  yellow  green; 
staminate  flowers  in  clusters  on  slender  hairy  pedicels  one  and  a  half 
to  two  inches  long.     Pistillate  flowers  in  narrow  drooping  racemes. 

Calyx. — Yellow  green  ;  staminate  flowers  campanulate,  five-lobed, 
hairy.     Pistillate  flowers  smaller,  five-parted  ;  disk  rudimentary. 

Corolla. — Wanting. 

Stamens. — Four  to  six,  exserted  ;  filaments  slender,  hairy  ;  an- 
thers linear,  connective  pointed. 

Pistil. — Ovary  hairy,  borne  on  disk,  partly  enclosed  by  calyx, 
two-celled,  wing-margined.  Styles  separate  at  base  into  two  stig- 
matic  lobes. 

Frnit. — Maple  keys,  full  size  in  early  summer.  Borne  in  droop- 
ing racemes,  pedicels  one  to  two  inches  long.  Key  an  inch  and  a 
half  to  two  inches  long,  nutlets  diverging,  wings  straight  or  incurved. 
September.     Seed  half  an  inch  long.     Cotyledons,  thin,  narrow. 

85 


MAPLE   FAMILY 


This  is  our  only  maple  with  compound  leaves,  and  so  ac- 
customed are  we  to  simple  leaves  for  the  maples  that  were 

it  not  for  the  keys  hanging 
in  graceful  clusters  from  the 
branches  we  should  question 
its  right  to  be  a  maple.  But 
just  as  certainly  as  an  acorn  in- 
dicates an  oak,  so  does  a  maple 
key  characterize  a  maple. 
.  The  Ash-leaved  Maple  is  a 
handsome  tree  with  spreading 
branches.  Its  habitat  extends 
as  far  east  as  Cayuga  Lake, 
New  York,  west  to  the  foot- 
hills of  the  Rockies,  north  to 
Winnepeg  and  south  to  Flor- 
ida. Compared  with  its  com- 
panions on  the  river  bottoms 
it  is  a  small  tree,  and  like  the 
sugar  maple  it  can  flourish  in 
the  shade.  The  tree  is  rare 
east  of  the  Appalachian  range 
and  beyond  the  Rockies  it 
undergoes  a  mountain  change 
and  appears  in  California  as 
a  different  variety.  It  grows 
rapidly  and  is  now  largely 
planted  in  the  treeless  west, 
and,  strange  to  say,  this  lover 
of  water  accepts  the  climatic 
change  and  flourishes.  Like  the  silver  maple  there  is  no 
touch  of  red  in  its  autumnal  coloring,  its  leaves  become  a 
pure  pale  yellow  before  they  fall. 


Keys  of  Box  Elder,  Acer  ucgundo. 


86 


BOX    ELDER 


Fruitinii  Spray  of  Box  Elder,  y4ccr  iicgiiudo. 

Leaflets  2'  to  4'  long. 


ANACARDIACE^— SUMACH   FAMILY 

VELVET  SUMACH.  STAGHORN  SUMACH 

RJiiis  Jiirta — RJuis  t^phina 

Rhus  is  by  some  referred  to  a  Celtic  word  meaning  red ;  others 
derive  it  from  the  Greek  word  meaning  run,  because  the  roots 
spread  underground  to  a  considerable  distance  from  the  trunk  ; 
still  others  refer  it  to  a  Greek  word  which  indicates  its  value 
medicinally.  Typhina  giant,  this  being  the  largest  of  the  North 
American  species.  Hirta,  hairy.  Sumach  is  derived  from  Simaq 
the  Arabic  name  of  the  plant. 

A  small  tree  with  a  slender  and  slightly  leaning  trunk,  with  stout 
spreading  and  often  contorted  branches  which  form  a  flat  head  ; 
oftener  it  is  a  shrub  spreading  by  suckers  into  thickets  along  fences 
and  in  neglected  fields.  Roots  fleshy  ;  juice  milky  and  viscid,  turn- 
ing black  when  exposed  to  the  air.  Small  branches  and  young  stems 
pithy.     Short-li-ved.     Prefers  calcareous  soil. 

Bark. — Smooth,  dark  brown,  sometimes  scaly.  Branchlets  stout, 
clumsy,  coated  with  long,  soft,  pink  hairs,  which  change  to  green  and 
then  brown.  Branchlets  do  not  become  smooth  until  at  least  three 
years  old  ;  in  their  second  year  are  marked  wdth  many  lenticels. 
Bark  rich  in  tannin. 

Wood. — Orange  color  streaked  with  green  ;  light,  brittle,  soft, 
coarse-grained,  with  satiny  surface.  Sp.  gr.,  0.4357  ;  weight  of  cu. 
ft.,  27.15  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Terminal  bud,  large,  obtuse  ;  axillary  buds, 
smaller,  globular. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  unequally  pinnately  compound,  sixteen  to 
twenty-four  inches  long  ;  petiole  stout,  hairy,  enlarged  at  the  base, 
reddish,  and  surrounds  and  encloses  the  leaf  bud  in  its  axil.  Leaf- 
lets eleven  to  thirty-one,  two  to  five  inches  long,  almost  sessile,  ob- 
long, rounded  or  heart-shaped,  slightly  unequal  at  base,  serrate, 
acuminate,  middle  pairs  longer  than  the  others  ;  midrib  prominent, 
and  primary  veins  forking  near  the  margin.     They  come  out  of  the 

88 


I 


STAGHORN    SUMACH 


Fruit  and  Leat  of  Sta^ic'iurn  Sumach,  Rhus  hirta. 

Leaves  i6'  to  24'  long.     Leaflets  2'  to  5'  long. 


SUMACH    FAMILY 

bud  yellow  green,  covered  as  are  the  shoot  and  petiole  with  bright 
red  hairs.  When  full  grown  they  become  smooth,  somewhat  darker 
above,  and  pale  or  whitish  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  scarlet, 
varied  by  shades  of  crimson,  yellow,  and  orange. 

Floivers. — May,  June.  Dioecious,  yellowish  green,  sometimes 
tinged  with  red.  In  dense  panicles  with  downy  stems  and  branches 
and  large  bracts  which  fall  at  the  opening  of  the  flowers.  The  pani- 
cle of  sterile  flowers  is  eight  to  twelve  inches  long,  five  to  six  inches 
broad,  with  spreading  branches  and  is  nearly  a  third  larger  than  the 
more  compact  fertile  panicle. 

Calyx. — Five-lobed,  lobes  acute,  hairy  ;  imbricate  in  bud,  in 
staminate  flowers  shorter  than  the  petals  ;  in  pistillate  flowers  about 
the  same  length. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  imbricate  in  bud,  longer  than  and  alternate 
with  the  lobes  of  the  calyx,  inserted  under  the  margin  of  the  fleshy 
red  disk  surrounding  the  ovary.  In  staminate  flower,  yellow  green 
tinged  with  red,  strap-shaped  ;  in  pistillate,  green,  narrow  and  acu- 
minate. 

Stamens. — Five,  inserted  on  the  disk,  alternate  with  the  petals  ;  in 
staminate  flowers  exserted  with  large,  bright,  orange-colored  anthers  ; 
in  the  pistillate  flower,  short  with  rudimentary  anthers.  Anthers 
large,  introrse. 

Pistil. — Ovary  ovoid,  downy,  with  three  short  spreading  styles  ;  in 
the  staminate  flower  often  rudimentary. 

Fruit. — Dry  drupe  ;  not  poisonous.  Borne  in  terminal  thyrse-like 
panicles  six  to  eight  inches  long,  two  to  three  inches  broad,  which 
become  full  grown  and  bright  red  in  August  but  not  fully  mature 
until  October  and  remain  on  the  tree  all  winter.  Depressed-globular, 
with  a  thin  covering,  clothed  with  long  crimson  hairs.  Cotyledons 
flat,  leaf-like. 


The  Velvet  Sumach  is  well  named,  for  its  twigs  and 
branches  are  really  velvety  to  the  eye  and  to  the  touch.  No 
other  of  our  native  trees  sends  forth  its  leaves  and  twigs  with 
so  royal  a  covering.  The  branchlets  are  coated  with  long, 
soft,  pink  hairs  wdien  they  first  come  forth,  later  these  turn  a 
bright  green,  then  brown  and  finally  in  their  second  summer 
become  short  and  almost  black.  For  two  years  the  growing 
wood  of  the  Sumach  is  clothed  in  velvet. 

The  name  Staghorn  may  be  explained  in  tw^o  ways,  one 
quite  as  good  as  the  other.  Some  say  that  the  early  observ- 
ers saw  a  certain  likeness  between  the  forking  leafless 
branches  and  a  stag's  horn,  others,  that  the  soft  velvety  down 

go 


VELVET    SUMACH 

which  covers  the  growing  shoot  is  the  point  of  resemblance 
to  a  young  stag's  horn. 

The  beauty  of  the  Sumach  lies  entirely  in  its  foliage  ;  the 
leafless  tree  is  stiff,  awkward  and  clumsy,  but  after  the  leaves 
come  out  it  is  a  different  creature,  clean-cut  and  beautiful  all 
summer  long.  Its  long,  pinnately  compound  leaves  are  borne 
in  tufts  at  the  end  of  the  branches,  the  main  stem  is  either 
horizontal  or  slightly  curved  upward,  while  the  leaflets  have 
a  decided  tendency  to  hang  down.  These  lift  and  sway  with 
every  passing  breeze,  and  wdien  the  whole  is  crowned,  as  it  so 
often  is,  with  a  great  thyrsoid  panicle  of  bright  red  fruit 
standing  out  from  the  centre  of  each  leafy  tuft,  the  effect  is 
unique  and  beautiful.  The  little  drupes  which  make  the 
panicles  are  covered  with  crimson  down  which  is  charged 
with  malic  acid,  sour  but  agreeable  to  the  taste.  They  re- 
main on  the  tree  all  winter  and  become  the  food  of  the  birds. 

In  autumn  all  the  sumachs,  large  and  small,  are  wonderful 
for  the  brilliancy  of  their  coloring.  They  glow  in  scarlet  and 
gold  which  sometimes  deepens  to  crimson  and  orange.  The 
Velvet  Sumach  makes  thickets  on  its  own  account,  its  smaller 
brother,  7?.  glabra,  the  Smooth  Sumach,  follows  its  example, 
and  along  the  fences,  over  deserted  fields  and  up  the  rockv, 
gravelly,  mountain-side  they  fling  their  magnificent  beauty 
through  all  the  October  days. 

"  Like  glowing  lava  streams  the  sumach  crawls 
Upon  the  mountain's  granite  walls." 

The  Velvet  Sumach  is  dioecious.  The  staminate  flowers 
have  an  ovary,  but  this  aborts  in  process  of  development  and 
only  the  pistillate  produce  fruit.  The  sterile  trees  flower 
fully  a  week  or  ten  days  earlier  than  the  fertile  ones. 

The  color  of  the  wood  is  peculiar  and  striking,  being  a  sort 
of  greenish  orange,  but  the  tree  never  grows  large  enough  to 
furnish  wood  available  for  anything  more  than  sticks  and 
boxes. 

Rhus  copallina,  the  Dwarf  or  Mountain  Sumach,  at  the  north 
is  a  shrub,  but  in  the  mountains  of  North  Carolina  and  Ten- 

91 


SUMACH    FAMILY 

nessee  it  becomes  a  tree.  The  leaves  are  pinnate,  six  to 
twelve  inches  long,  the  rachis  is  wing-margined  ;  leaflets  nine 
to  twenty-one,  ovate-lanceolate,  acute,  margins  entire  except  a 
few  serrate  teeth  near  the  apex.  The  fruit  consists  of  crim- 
son hairy  drupes  borne  in  a  dense  terminal  panicle.  The  leaves 
and  bark  contain  much  tannin  and  are  collected  in  large  quan- 
tities in  the  southern  states  and  used  for  tanning  leather. 

The  family  Rhus  is  widely  distributed  throughout  the 
temperate  regions  of  the  world  ;  more  than  a  hundred  species 
have  been  distinguished  and  these  are  in  Africa,  Asia,  North 
America,  South  America,  Indian  Archipelago,  Australia  and 
the  Sandwich  Islands.  Its  traces  are  also  abundant  in  the 
late  eocene  and  the  miocene  rocks  of  Europe,  but  rare  in  the 
arctic  tertiary.  Many  species  possess  useful  properties,  and 
some  are  of  commercial  importance.  The  bark  and  leaves 
of  all  are  rich  in  tannin,  and  one  species,  Rhus  coriaria  of 
southern  Europe,  is  cultivated  expressly  for  the  tannin  of  its 
leaves,  which,  dried  and  powdered,  are  used  in  curing  the  best 
qualities  of  leather. 

The  famous  lacquer  of  Japan  which  has  made  the  cabinet 
work  of  the  Japanese  unequalled  for  centuries,  is  produced 
by  a  sumach  tree  which  is  cultivated  expressly  for  its  milky 
juice.  The  tree  is  allowed  to  reach  the  age  of  ten  years  and 
then  incisions  are  made  on  the  trunk  and  large  branches,  the 
sap  collected,  the  small  branches  cut  off  and  soaked  in  water  ; 
the  tree  in  short  is  killed  for  its  heart's  blood.  The  yield  is 
surprisingly  small,  only  two  or  three  ounces  from  a  single  tree. 
It  seems  that  the  tree  cannot  be  tapped  year  after  year  as 
we  tap  maple  trees,  the  product  of  the  second  year  is  poor 
and  that  of  the  third  year  nothing  whatever  ;  so  the  tree  is 
killed  outright. 

Cotinus  cotinoides  belongs  to  the  Rhus  family  and  is  the 
cultivated  Smoke-tree  of  the  gardens.  The  flowers  are  very 
small,  purplish,  and  borne  in  loose  panicles.  After  calyx  and 
corolla  drop,  the  pedicels  lengthen,  become  hairy  and  form 
great  feathery  bunches,  green  or  dull  red,  which  cover  the 
tree  and  transform  it  into  a  misty,  cloudy,  billowy  mass, 

92 


DWARF   SUMACH 


Dwarf  Sumach,  Rb/m  co;alti)ia. 

Leaves  6'  to    12'   long.      Leaflets  2'  to  4'  lonj 


SUMACH    FAMILY 


POISON  SUMACH.     POISON  DOGWOOD 

RJiiis  ve'rnix.     Rhus  veiienhta. 


A  small  tree,  eighteen  to  twenty  feet  high,  with  acrid,  milky,  poison- 
ous juice  which  turns  black  on  exposure.  The  head  is  round  and 
narrow  and  the  branches  slender  and  rather  pendulous  ;  often  it  is 
simply  a  shrub.     Small  branches  and  young  stems  pithy. 

Bark. — Smooth,  light  or  dark  gray,  slightly  striate.  Branchlets  are 
smooth,  reddish  brown,  covered  with  small,  orange  colored,  lenticular 
spots  ;  later  they  become  orange  brown  and  finally  light  gray. 

Wood. — Light  yellow  with  brown  lines  ;  light,  soft,  coarse-grained, 
brittle.     Sp.  gr.,  0.4382;  weight  of  cu.  ft,  27.31  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Terminal  bud  is  much  larger  than  the  axillary 
buds,  all  are  acute,  dark  purple. 

Leaves.  —  Alternate,  pinnately  compound, 
seven  to  fourteen  inches  long,  borne  on  slender 
reddish  petioles.  Leaflets  seven  to  thirteen, 
obovate,  or  oblong,  three  to  four  inches  long, 
slightly  unequal  or  contracted  at  the  base,  en- 
tire, acute  or  rounded  at  apex,  short  petiolate 
except  the  terminal  one  which  sometimes  has 
a  stalk  an  inch  in  length.  They  come  out  of 
the  bud  orange  colored  and  downy,  when  full 
grown  are  smooth,  dark  green  and  shining 
above,  pale  beneath  ;  midrib  and  primary 
veins  prominent.  In  autumn  they  turn  scarlet 
and  orange. 

Flowers. — June,  July.  Dioecious  ;  yellow 
green,  borne  in  long,  narrow,  axillary  panicles 
crowded  near  the  ends  of  the  branches.  Bracts 
and  bractlets  are  acute,  downy,  and  fall  as  the 
flowers  open. 

Calyx . — Five-lobed,  lobes  acute,  short. 
Corolla. — Petals  five,  acute,  yellow  green. 
Stamens. — Five,  with  long  slender  filaments 
and  large  orange  colored  anthers.     In  the  fer- 
tile flowers  short  and  rudimentary. 

Pistil. — Ovary  ovoid -globose,  one -celled, 
surmounted  by  three  thick  spreading  styles ; 
ovule  solitary. 

Fruit. — Drupaceous,  globular,  white,  borne 
in  long  graceful  racemes,  often  tipped  with  the 
dark  remnants  of  the  styles.     Ripens  in  September  and  frequently 
hangs  on  the  tree  the  entire  winter.     Cotyledons  flat,  leaf-hke. 

94 


Fruit  of  Poison  Sumacli, 
Rhus  vernix. 


POISON    SUMACH 


Poison  Sumach,  Rhus  vennx. 

Leaves  7'  to   14/  long.     Leaflets  y  to  4/  long. 


SUMACH    FAMILY 

The  Poison  Sumach  is  found  throughout  the  northern 
states  and  is  one  of  the  most  dangerous  plants  of  our  flora. 
However,  it  ought  never  to  be  mistaken  for  the  other  su- 
machs although  it  often  is.  The  leaves  are  shorter,  the  leaf- 
lets fewer,  margins  are  entire,  the  fruit  white  and  about  the 
size  of  a  small  pea.  All  the  other  sumachs  have  red  fruit. 
It  is  found  in  wet  soils,  whereas  the  others  like  the  dry.  Its 
poisonous  principle  is  the  same  as  that  found  in  Rhus  toxi- 
codendron^ or  Poison  Ivy,  and  while  it  affects  nriany  people  who 
handle  it  or  are  near  to  it,  others  are  entirely  immune.  The 
poison  shows  itself  in  painful  and  long  continued  swellings 
and  eruptions.  The  exact  character  of  this  poison  is  in  dis- 
pute. It  has  long  been  considered  to  be  a  volatile  acid,  but 
recent  investigations  are  leading  to  the  belief  that  it  is  a  fixed 
oil. 


0 


LEGUMINOSyE— PEA   FAMILY 

LOCUST.  ACACIA,  YELLOW  LOCUST.  BLACK 
LOCUST 

Rohi)i'ia  pseiidachcia. 

Robinia  commemorates  the  botanical  labors  of  Jean  Robin,  her- 
balist of  Henry  IIL  and  director  of  the  gardens  of  the  Louvre 
under  Henry  IV.  and  Louis  XIII.  His  son  Vespasian  Robin 
first  cultivated  the  Locust  tree  in  Europe.  PseuJacacia,  like 
the  acacia. 

Often  cultivated  as  an  ornamental  tree  throughout  the  north,  but 
native  from  Pennsylvania  to  northern  Georgia  and  westward  as  far 
as  Arkansas  and  Indian  Territory.  Reaches  the  height  of  seventy 
feet  with  a  trunk  three  or  four  feet  in  diameter,  with  brittle  branches 
that  form  an  oblong  narrow  head.     Spreads  by  underground  shoots. 

Bark. — Dark  gray  brown  tinged  with  red,  deeply  furrow^ed,  sur- 
face inclined  to  scale.  Branchlets  at  first  coated  with  white  silvery 
down.  This  soon  disappears  and  they  become  pale  green,  afterward 
reddish  brown.  Prickles  develop  from  stipules,  are  short,  some- 
what triangular,  dilated  at  base,  sharp,  dark  purple,  adhering  only 
to  the  bark,  but  persistent. 

Wood. — Pale  yellowish  brown  ;  heavy,  hard,  strong,  close-grained 
and  very  durable  in  contact  with  the  ground.  Sp.  gr.,  0.7333  5  weight 
of  cu.  ft.,  45.70  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Minute,  naked,  three  or  four  together,  protected 
in  a  depression  by  a  scale-like  covering  lined  on  the  inner  surface 
with  a  thick  coat  of  tomentum  and  opening  in  early  spring  ;  when 
forming  are  covered  by  the  swollen  base  of  the  petiole. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  compound,  odd-pinnate,  eight  to  fourteen 
inches  long,  with  slender  hairy  petioles,  grooved  and  swollen  at  the 
base.  Leaflets  petiolate,  seven  to  nine,  one  to  two  inches  long,  one- 
half  to   three-fourths  of  an  inch  broad,  emarginate  or  rounded  at 

97 


PEA   FAMILY 

apex.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate,  yellow  green,  cov- 
ered with  silvery  down  which  soon  disappears  ;  when  full  grown  are 
dull  dark  green  above,  paler  beneath.  Feather-veined,  midvein 
prominent.  In  autumn  they  turn  a  clear  pale  yellow.  Stipules 
linear,  downy,  membranous  at  first,  ultimately  developing  into 
hard  woody  prickles,  straight  or  slightly  curved.  Each  leaflet  has  a 
minute  stipel  which  quickly  falls  and  a  short  petiole. 

Flowers. — May,  after  the  leaves.  Papilionaceous.  Perfect,  borne 
in  loose  drooping  racemes  four  to  five  inches  long,  cream-white, 
about  an  inch  long,  nectar  bearing,  fragrant.  Pedicels  slender,  half 
an  inch  long,  dark  red  or  reddish  green. 

Calyx. — Campanulate,  gibbous,  hairy,  five- toothed,  slightly  two- 
lipped,  dark  green  blotched  with  red,  especially  on  the  upper  side  ; 
teeth  valvate  in  bud. 

Corolla. — Imperfectly  papilionaceous,  petals  inserted  upon  a  tu- 
bular disk  ;  standard  white  with  pale  yellow  blotch  ;  wings  white, 
oblong-falcate  ;  keel  petals  incurved,  obtuse,  united  below. 

Stamens. — Ten,  inserted  with  the  petals,  diadelphous,  nine  infe- 
rior, united  into  a  tube  which  is  cleft  on  the  upper  side,  superior 
one  free  at  the  base.  Anthers  two-celled,  cells  opening  longitudi- 
nally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  linear-oblong,  stipitate,  one-celled ; 
style  inflexed.  long,  slender,  bearded  ;  stigma  capitate  ;  ovules 
several,  two-ranked. 

Fruit. — Legume  two-valved,  smooth,  three  to  four  inches  long 
and  half  an  inch  broad,  usually  four  to  eight  seeded.  Ripens  late 
in  autumn  and  hangs  on  the  branches  until  early  spring.  Seeds 
dark  orange  brown  with  irregular  markings.   Cotyledons  oval,  fleshy. 

The  value  oiRobinia  fseudacacia  is  practically  destroyed  in  nearly  all  parts 
of  the  United  States  beyond  the  mountain  forests  which  are  its  home,  by  the 
borers  which  riddle  the  trunk  and  branches.  Were  it  not  for  these  insects  it 
would  be  one  of  the  most  valuable  timber-trees  that  could  be  planted  in  the 
northern  and  middle  states.  The  character  of  the  timber  which  it  produces,  the 
rapidity  of  its  growth,  its  power  to  adapt  itself  to  different  soils  and  to  repro- 
duce itself  rapidly  by  seeds  which  germinate  readily,  and  by  stump  and  root 
shoots,  would  make  it  a  most  valuable  tree  if  it  could  be  protected  from  in- 
sects. Young  trees  grow  quickly  and  vigorously  for  a  number  of  years,  but 
soon  become  stunted  and  diseased,  and  rarely  live  long  enough  to  attain  any 
commercial  value.  — Charles  S.  Sargent. 


It  is  an  interesting  question  why  some  trees  grow  so  much 
more  rapidly  than  others,  and  the  explanation  seems  to  lie  in 
the  character  of  the  roots.  Any  tree  whose  principal  roots 
extend  just  beneath  the  surface  grows  rapidly  because  the 
soil  there  is  the  richest  ;  but  the  cause  which  produces  this 


LOCUST 


Locust,  Robiiiia  pseiidacacia. 
Leaves  8'  to  14'  long.     Leaflets  i'  to  2'  long,  y^'  to 


broad. 


PEA  FAMILY 


rapidity  at  first  may  retard  the  growth  later  ;  for  unless 
these  spreading  roots  are  allowed  ample  space  on  every  side 
they  soon  exhaust  the  soil  within 
reach.  On  the  other  hand  trees 
whose  roots  penetrate  deep  as  well 
as  wide  grow  more  slowly  and  also 
more  steadily,  and  other  things  be- 
ing equal  attain  the  larger  size. 

A  single  Locust,  given  a  free  hand 
and  good  soil,  will  soon  produce  a 
thicket;  for  the  roots  creeping  along 
the  upper  layers  of  the  soil  send  up 
numerous  shoots  which  quickly  set 
up  in  life  for  themselves.  The  fo- 
liage effect  of  such  a  thicket  is  most 
beautiful.  The  leaves  are  compound 
with  delicate,  dark  green  leaflets. 
New  leaves  are  put  forth  until  past 
midsummer  and  these  being  a  light 
yellow  green  stand  out  against  the 
dark  background  of  the  older  leaves, 
giving  the  color  effect  of  a  mass  of 
soft  velvety  greens  of  varied  values. 
Then,  too,  the  leaves  respond  to  a  light  breeze  so  quickly, 
the  leaf  surface  is  so  smooth,  the  leaf  texture  so  fine,  that 
the  tree  is  always  clean  even  in  dusty  places. 

Loudon  reports  that  a  plantation  of  locusts,  Scotch  pines, 
sycamores,  limes,  chestnuts,  beeches,  ashes,  and  oaks  was 
made  near  Kensington,  London,  in  1812  and  that  the  trees 
were  measured  in  1827,  when  it  was  found  that  the  locust  had 
grown  faster  than  any  one  kind  of  the  other  trees  in  the 
proportion  of  27  to  22,  and  faster  than  the  average  of  them 
in  the  proportion  of  27  to  18.  But  this  was  a  case  where 
the  race  was  not  to  the  swift,  for  at  the  end  of  forty  years 
the  locusts  had  been  over-topped  and  ultimately  they  were 
destroyed  by  the  other  trees. 

All  the  beauty  of  the  Locust  comes  when  it  is  in  leaf ;  the 


Raceme  of  Locust  Blossoms, 
n^ohinia  pscudacacia. 


LOCUST 


\. 


Fruit  of  Locust.  Robniia  pseitdacacia. 
Pod  3'  to  4'  long. 


PEA    FAMILY 

leafless  tree  is  not  beautiful.  The  trunk  is  often  twisted, 
the  branches  are  irregular  and  twiggy,  easily  broken,  and  so 
give  the  tree  an  unkempt,  ragged  appearance.  This  is  an 
instance  where  the  contour  of  the  tree  has  nothing  to  do 
with  its  beauty — the  beauty  lies  in  the  color  and  disposition 
of  the  foliage  itself. 

The  young  trees  are  armed  with  prickles,  not  thorns. 
The  difference  between  these  lies  in  the  point  of  attachment. 
A  prickle  is  part  of  the  bark  and  will  come  off  with  it  as  do 
the  prickles  of  the  rose,  while  a  thorn  is  part  of  the  woody 
growth  and  belongs  to  the  ligneous  tissue. 

The  Locust  begins  in  its  third  year  to  convert  its  sapwood 
into  heartwood,  which  is  not  done  by  the  oak,  the  beech,  or 
the  elm,  until  after  the  tenth  or  fifteenth  year. 

The  leaflets  fold  together  in  wet  weather,  also  at  night  ; 
some  change  of  position  at  night  is  the  habit  of  the  entire 
leguminous  family.  This  peculiarity  of  the  tree  led  a  child 
to  say,  ''  It  is  not  bed  time,  the  locust  tree  has  not  begun  its 
prayer." 

The  name  Locust  is  said  to  have  been  given  to  our  Rohi- 
nia  by  the  Jesuit  missionaries,  who  fancied  that  this  was  the 
tree  that  supported  St.  John  in  the  wilderness.  But  it  is 
native  only  to  North  America.  The  locust  tree  of  Spain, 
which  is  also  a  native  of  Syria,  is  supposed  to  be  the  true 
locust  of  the  New  Testament ;  the  fruit  of  this  tree  may  be 
found  in  the  shops  under  the  name  of  St.  John's  bread. 

Robinia  is  now  a  North  American  genus — but  traces  of  it 
are  found  in  the  eocene  and  miocene  rocks  of  Europe. 


CLAMMY  LOCUST 


CLAMMY  LOCUST 

Robin  ia  viscbsa. 

Usually  a  shrub  five  or  six  feet  high,  but  known  to  reach  the 
height  of  forty  feet  in  the  mountains  of  North  Carolina  with  the  habit 
of  a  tree.  Commonly  cultivated  at  the  north  for  the  beauty  of  its 
flowers. 

Ba?'k. — Smooth,  dark  brown  tinged  with  red.  Branchlets  dark 
reddish  brown  covered  with  dark  glandular  hairs  which  exude  a 
clammy  sticky  substance  ;  later,  these  become  bright  red  brown, 
and  sticky,  finally  they  turn  light  brown  and  become  dry. 

Wood.— l^xghi  brown  ;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained.  Sp.  gr.,  0.8094  ; 
weight  of  cu.  ft.,  50.44  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Small,  naked,  in  groups,  sunk  in  the  scars  of  the 
fallen  leaves,  protected  by  a  scale  lined  with  tomentum  ;  do  not 
appear  until  spring. 

Leaves . — Alternate,  pinnately  compound,  seven  to  twelve  inches 
long  ;  petiole  stout  and  dark,  slightly  enlarged  at  base.  Leaflets 
thirteen  to  twenty-one,  oblong,  an  inch  and  a  half  to  two  inches 
long,  rounded  or  wedge-shaped  at  base,  entire,  rounded  and  mu- 
cronate  at  apex.  Feather-veined  ;  midrib  and  primary  veins  as  well 
as  the  secondary  petioles  covered  with  soft  hairs.  They  come  out  of 
the  bud  yellow  green  covered  with  soft,  silky,  white  down,  when  full 
grown  are  dark  green,  smooth  above,  pale  green  and  downy 
beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  a  clear  pale  yellow.  The  stipules 
are  long,  slender,  sometimes  fall,  sometimes  develop  into  slender 
spines.  Each  leaflet  has  a  minute  stipel  which  quickly  falls,  and  a 
short  petiole. 

Flowers. — June.  Perfect,  pale  rose  colored,  papilionaceous,  borne 
in  crowded,  oblong,  clammy,  hairy  racemes,  slightly  fragrant.  Pedi- 
cels developed  from  the  axils  of  dark  red  bracts,  which  extend  be- 
yond the  flower  buds  and  fall  as  the  flowers  open. 

Calyx. — Campanulate,  five-toothed,  dark  red,  hairy,  valvate  in 
bud. 

Corolla. — Papilionaceous,  rose  or  flesh  colored,  standard  narrow 
with  a  pale  yellow  blotch  on  the  inner  surface,  wings  broad.  Petals 
inserted  on  a  tubular  disk. 

Stamens. — Ten,  diadelphous,  nine  in  one  group,  one  alone.  An- 
thers two-celled;  cells  opening  longitudinally. 

Pistil. —  Ovary  superior,  linear-oblong,  stipitate,  one-celled  ; 
style  recurved;  ovules  several,  two-ranked. 

Fruit. — Legume,  many  seeded,  about  three  inches  long,  narrow, 
winged,  glandular-hispid,  tipped  with  the  remnants  of  the  style. 
Seeds  five  to  nine,  dark  reddish  brown,  mottled.  Cotyledons  oval, 
fleshy. 

103 


PEA   FAMILY 

Robinia  viscosa,  which  appears  to  be  one  of  the  rarest  of  all  our  trees,  was 
not  seen  growing  wild  in  the  forests  of  the  southern  Alleghany  Mountains  from 
the  time  of  Michaux  until  1882,  when  it  was  rediscovered  by  Mr.  John  Donnell 
Smith  near  Highlands,  Macon  County,  North  Carolina,  covering  a  rocky  slope 
known  as  Buzzard  ridge  at  an  elevation  of  four  thousand  five  hundred  feet  above 
the  sea-level,  and  growing  as  a  shrub  with  stems  only  a  tew  feet  high.  It  has 
not  been  seen  in  any  other  locality  growing  wild.  Bartram  and  MichariX  speak 
of  it  as  a  tree  forty  feet  high,  and  it  often  attains  that  height. 

— Charles  S.  Sargent. 


The  Clammy  Locust  has  always  been  a  popular  garden 
plant,  because  of  its  fine  foliage  and  beautiful  flowers.  At 
least  three  beautiful  varieties  of  it  have  been  produced.  A 
second  crop  of  flowers  often  appears  in  August  from  shoots 
developed  early  in  the  summer,  on  especially  vigorous  young 
trees. 

REDBUD.      JUDAS-TREE 

Ce'rcis  canadensis. 

Cercis  is  of  Greek  derivation  and  refers  to  a  fancied  resemblance  in 
the  fruit  to  a  weaver's  implement  of  that  name. 

Small  tree,  with  a  sturdy  upright  trunk  which  divides  into  stout 
branches  that  usually  spread  to  form  a  broad  flat  head.  Found  on 
rich  bottom  lands  throughout  the  Mississippi  valley  ;  will  grow  in 
the  shade  and  often  becomes  a  dense  undergrowth  in  the  forest. 
Very  abundant  in  Arkansas,  Indian  Territory,  and  eastern  Texas. 
Hardy  far  north  ;  grows  rapidly  ;  is  a  satisfactory  ornamental  tree. 

Bark. — Red  brown,  with  deep  fissures  and  scaly  surface.  Branch- 
lets  at  first  lustrous  brown,  later  become  darker. 

Wood. — Dark  reddish  brown  ;  heavy,  hard,  coarse-grained,  not 
strong.     Sp.  gr.,  0.6363;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  39.65  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Chestnut  brown,  obtuse,  one-eighth  inch  long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  heart-shaped  or  broadly  ovate,  two  to 
five  inches  long,  five  to  seven-nerved,  cordate  or  truncate  at  base, 
entire,  acute.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  folded  along  the  line  of 
the  midrib,  tawny  green,  when  full  grown  become  smooth,  dark 
green  above,  paler  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  bright  clear  yel- 
low. Petioles  slender,  terete,  enlarged  at  the  base.  Stipules  ca- 
ducous. 

104 


REDBUD 


Flowerint;  Branch  of  Redbud,  Ci'icis  (WLu/riisis. 


PEA   FAMILY 

Flowers. — April,  May,  before  and  with  the  leaves,  papilionaceous. 
Perfect,  rose  color,  borne  four  to  eight  together,  in  fascicles  which 
appear  at  the  axils  of  the  leaves  or  along  the  branch  and  sometimes 
on  the  trunk  itself. 

Calyx. — Dark  red,  campanulate,  oblique,  five-toothed,  imbricate 
in  bud. 

Corolla. — Papilionaceous,  petals  five,  nearly  equal,  pink  or  rose 
color,  upper  petal  the  smallest,  enclosed  in  the  bud  by  the  wings, 
and  encircled  by  the  broader  keel  petals. 

Stamens. — Ten,  inserted  in  two  rows  on  a  thin  disk,  free,  the  inner 
row  rather  shorter  than  the  others. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  inserted  obliquely  in  the  bottom  of  the 
calyx  tube,  stipitate  ;  style  fleshy,  incurved,  tipped  with  an  obtuse 
stigma. 

Fruit. — Legume,  slightly  stipitate,  unequally  oblong,  acute  at 
each  end.  Compressed,  tipped  with  the  remnants  of  the  style, 
straight  on  upper  and  curved  on  lower  edge.  Two  and  a  half  to 
three  inches  long,  rose  color,  full  grown  by  midsummer,  falls  in 
early  winter.  Seeds  ten  to  twelve,  chestnut  brown,  one-fourth  of  an 
inch  long  ;  cotyledons  oval,  flat. 

A  tree  as  large  as  an  apple  tree  and  having  something  of 
the  same  habit,  covered  with  tiny  rose  colored  pea-like  blos- 
soms from  the  crown  of  its  leafless  head  to  its  trunk,  is  an 
astonishing  sight  even  to  one  accustomed  to  observe  the 
wonders  of  vegetable  life.  Such  is  the  Redbud,  a  low  tree 
with  a  flat  spreading  head,  growing  from  Canada  to  A^rginia 
in  the  low  lands,  and  dividing  the  honors  of  early  spring  with 
the  Shad  Bush  and  the  Dogwood.  These  flowers  which  ap- 
pear before  the  leaves,  are  small,  borne  in  clusters  along  the 
branch  except  at  the  very  end  and  sometimes  on  the  trunk 
itself. 

The  normal  place  for  flowers  to  appear  is  in  the  axils  of 
the  leaves,  and  when  bright,  beautiful,  rosy  blossoms  break 
forth  from  the  bark  of  old  branches  or  from  the  very  trunk, 
the  fact  requires  explanation.  Many  have  been  offered  and 
the  one  accepted  is  that  they  are  produced  year  after  year 
from  excrescences  which  correspond  to  the  axils  of  ancient 
leaves  and  are  composed  of  the  remnants  of  the  axes  of  ear- 
lier infloi-escences  which  have  gradually  united  and  formed  a 
more  or  less   prominent    mass.     Whatever  the   explanation 

io6 


REDBUD 


Redbud,  Cercis  canadeusis. 
Leaves  2.'  to  5'  long. 


PEA  FAMILY 

may  be,  the  fact  remains  that  such  blossoms  may  and  do  an- 
nually appear  on  this  tree.  These  pretty  blossoms  have  a 
very  pleasant  acid  taste  and  are  succeeded  by  flat,  many- 
seeded  pods  that  reach  full  size  in  May,  when  they  become 
bright  rose  color,  finally  becoming  brown  ;  they  hang  upon 
the  tree  until  early  winter.  Many  trees,  however,  are  sterile, 
the  blossoms  falling  without  producing  any  fruit. 

The  leaves  come  out  from  the  bud  carefully  doubled  at  the 
line  of  the  midrib  and  bent  upon  the  petiole.  They  are  five 
to  seven-nerved,  that  is,  instead  of  the  midrib  being  the  prin- 
cipal line  of  the  woody  structure  of  the  leaf,  there  come  out 
at  the  base  five  or  six  ribs  almost  as  large  as  the  central  or 
midrib.  This  kind  of  venation  always  makes  a  leaf  broad 
at  the  base.  Sometimes  these  primary  ribs  extend  away  from 
the  apex,  then  the  leaf  is  very  likely  to  be  lobed  as  are  the 
maples,  but  in  the  Redbud  the  points  curve  toward  the  apex 
and  the  result  is  an  entire,  heart-shaped  leaf. 

Why  should  this  beautiful  creature  be  called  Judas-tree  ? 
Our  native  tree  is  very  like  the  species  which  is  common  in 
Europe,  in  Japan,  in  Asiatic  Turkey  and  especially  in  Judea. 
In  the  days  when  legends  gathered  about  whatever  was  un- 
usual in  nature,  this  tree  glowing  red  in  the  spring  time  was 
said  to  blush  because  Judas  hanged  himself  upon  it.  The 
old  world  name  has  crossed  the  ocean  and  our  pretty  Red- 
bud,  blooming  in  the  heart  of  a  continent  unknown  to  that 
ancient  world,  bears  in  every  book  the  blistering  name  of 
Judas-tree. 

The  type  is  ancient  and  the  genus  has  existed  in  Europe 
almost  as  at  present  from  the  eocene  period.  A  white  va- 
riety is  recorded  but  has  not  become  common. 


io8 


KENTUCKY  COFFEE-TREE 

KENTUCKY  COFFEE-TREE.  STUMP-TREE 

GymnScladus  dioicus. 

Gvmuocladits    is    of    Greek  derivation   and    refers   to    the   stout 
branches  destitute  of  spray. 

Widely  distributed,  but  rare.  Not  found  in  New  England,  but 
ranging  from  New  York  to  Arkansas  and  Indian  Territory.  Prefers 
bottom  lands,  and  a  rich  moist  soil.  Varies  from  seventy-five  to 
one  hundred  feet  high  with  a  trunk  two  or  three  feet  in  diameter 
which  usually  separates  ten  or  fifteen  feet  from  the  ground  into  three 
or  four  divisions  which  spread  slightly  and  form  a  narrow  pyramidal 
head  ;  or  when  crowded  by  other  trees,  sending  up  one  tall  central 
branchless  shaft  to  the  height  of  fifty  or  seventy  feet.  Branches 
stout,  pithy,  and  blunt ;  roots  fibrous. 

Bark. — Dark  gray,  deeply  fissured,  surface  scaly.  Branchlets  at 
first  coated  with  short  reddish  down. 

Wood. — Light  brown  ;  heavy,  strong,  coarse-grained,  durable  in 
contact  with  the  ground,  takes  a  fine  polish.  Sp.  gr.,  0.6934;  weight 
of  cu.  ft.,  43.21  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Minute,  depressed  in  downy  cavities  of  the  stem, 
two  in  the  axil  of  each  leaf,  the  smaller  sterile.  Bud  scales  two, 
ovate,  coated  with  brown  tomentum  and  growing  with  the  shoot,  be- 
come orange  green,  hairy  and  about  one  inch  long,  before  they  fall. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  bi-pinnately  compound,  ten  to  fourteen  pin- 
nate, lowest  pinnae  reduced  to  leaflets,  the  others  seven  to  thirteen 
foliate.  One  to  three  feet  long,  eighteen  to  twenty-four  inches  broad, 
by  the  greater  development  of  the  upper  pairs  of  pinna?.  Leaf  stalks 
and  stalks  of  pinnae,  are  terete,  enlarged  at  base,  smooth  when  ma- 
ture, pale  green,  often  purple  on  the  upper  side.  Leaflets  ovate, 
two  to  two  and  one-half  inches  long,  wedge-shaped  or  irregularly 
rounded  at  base,  with  wavy  margin,  acute  apex.  They  come  out  of 
the  bud  bright  pink,  but  soon  become  bronze  green,  smooth  and 
shining  above.  When  full  grown  are  dark  yellow  green  above,  pale 
green  beneath.  In  autumn  turn  a  bright  clear  yellow.  Stipules 
leaf-life,  lanceolate,  serrate,  deciduous. 

Flowers. — June.  Dicecious  by  abortion,  terminal,  greenish  white. 
Staminate  flowers  in  a  short  raceme-like  corymb  three  to  four 
inches  long ,  pistillate  flowers  in  a  raceme  ten  to  twelve  inches  long. 

Calyx. — Tubular,  hairy,  ten-ribbed,  five-lobed  ;  lobes  valvate  in 
bud,  acute,  nearly  equal. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  oblong,  hairy,  spreading  or  reflexed,  imbri- 
cate in  bud. 

109 


PEA   FAMILY 

Stamens.— Tqu,  five  long  and  five  short,  free,  included  ;  filaments 
thread-like  ;  anthers  orange  colored,  introrse  ;  in  the  pistillate  flower 
small  and  sterile. 

Pistil.— Ovdiry  superior,  sessile,  hairy,  contracted  into  a  short  style, 
with  two  stigmatic  lobes  ;  ovules  in  two  rows. 

Fruit. — Legume,  six  to  ten  inches  long,  one  and  one-half  to  two 
inches  wide,  somewhat  curved,  with  thickened  margins,  dark  reddish 
brown  with  slight  glaucous  bloom,  crowned  with  remnant  of  the 
styles.  Stalks  an  inch  or  two  long.  Seeds  six  to  nine,  surrounded 
by  a  thick  layer  of  dark,  sweet  pulp. 

When  Kentucky  wa^  first  settled  by  the  adventurous  pioneers  from  the  Atlan- 
tic states  who  commenced  their  career  in  the  primeval  wilderness,  almost  with- 
out the  necessaries  of  life,  except  as  they  produced  them  from  the  fertile  soil, 
they  fancied  that  they  had  discovered  a  substitute  for  coffee  in  the  seeds  of  this 
tree  ;  and  accordingly  the  name  of  Coffee-tree  was  bestowed  upon  it.  But  when 
communication  was  established  with  the  sea-ports,  they  gladly  relinquished  their 
Kentucky  beverage  for  the  more  grateful  flavor  of  the  Indian  berry  ;  and  no  use 
is  at  present  made  of  it  in  that  manner.  —A.J.   Downing. 


This  is  another  of  the  solitary  trees  of  our  flora.     It  grows 
north  as  far  as  Montreal  and  south  to  the  limits  of  Arkansas, 

nevertheless  one  may  be 
a  student  of  forest  trees 
many  years  ere  one  finds 
the  Kentucky  Coffee-tree 
growing  on  its  native 
hills.  In  pleasure 
grounds  it  is  not  uncom- 
mon, since  it  is  often 
planted  because  of  its 
unique  appearance  and 
interesting  character. 
Like  the  Sumach  it  is  wholly  destitute  of  fine  spray,  its 
smaller  branches  are  thick,  blunt,  clumsy  and  lumpish. 
Other  trees  lose  their  leaves  but  along  their  twigs  and 
branchlets  are  borne  the  buds,  the  hope  and  the  promise  of 
the  coming  year.  But  the  Gymnocladus  seems  so  destitute  of 
these,  that  the  French  in  Canada  named  it  Chicot,  the  dead 
tree.  Even  when  spring  comes  it  gives  no  apparent  recog- 
nition of  light  and  warmth  until  nearly  every  other  tree  is 

no 


Pistillate  and  Staminate  Flowers  of  Kentucky 
Coffee-tree. 


KENTUCKY   COFFEE-TREE 


Kentucky  Coffee-tree,  Gfnwochdns  dioicus. 

Leaves   \°  to  3°  long.     Leaflets  2'  to  ly^'  long. 


PEA    FAMILY 

in  full  leaf.  The  casual  observer  says  it  bears  no  winter 
buds,  but  he  is  mistaken,  a  tiny  pair,  so  minute  that  they 
are  detected  only  by  careful  searching,  wrapped  in  down  and 
wool,  lie  sleeping  in  the  axil  of  every  last  year's  leaf.  One 
is  foredoomed  to  die,  but  the  other,  if  the  fates  agree,  will 
grow  and  develop  a  tuft  of  great  leaves  which  will  transform 
the  dead  stump  into  a  living  tree. 

The  leaves  of  the  Kentucky  Coffee-tree  are  doubly  com- 
pound and  are  often  three  feet  long  and  two  feet  broad. 
This  form  of  leaf  is  not  unusual  among  herbs,  but  is  rare 
among  forest  trees.  In  our  northern  flora  there  are  but 
three  examples,  the  Kentucky  Coffee-tree,  the  Honey  Locust, 
and  the  Hercules'  Club.  Notwithstanding  the  size  of  the 
leaves  the  tree  is  sparingly  clothed  and  the  foliage  effect  is 
scanty  ;  indeed,  it  has  been  said  of  it  that  the  leaves  filter  the 
light  rather  than  cast  a  shadow.  The  expanding  leaves  are 
conspicuous  because  of  the  varied  colors  of  the  leaflets  ;  the 
youngest  are  bright  pink,  while  those  which  are  older  vary 
from  green  to  bronze. 


HONEY  LOCUST.  HONEY  SHUCKS 

Gledits ia  iria can  th os. 

Gleditsia  commemorates  the  labors  of  Gleditsch,  a  botanist  con- 
temporary with  Linnaeus, 

A  tree  usually  fifty  to  seventy-five  feet  high,  with  stout  sturdy 
trunk,  slender  spreading  often  pendulous  branches  forming  a  broad 
flat  top.  Native  to  the  Mississippi  valley,  it  has  become  naturalized 
in  New  England.  Is  tolerant  of  many  soils,  but  in  the  bottom  lands 
of  southern  Indiana  and  Illinois  attains  the  astonishing  proportions  of 
one  hundred  and  forty  feet  in  height  with  a  trunk  six  feet  in  diameter. 
Roots  thick  and  fibrous,  trunk  and  branches  spiny. 

Bark. — Dark,  deeply  fissured,  surface  covered  by  small  scales. 
Branchlets  light  reddish  brown  at  first,  later  grayish  brown. 

IVood.— Red  brown  ;  hard,  strong,  coarse-grained,  durable  in  con- 
tact with  the  ground.     Sp.  gr.,  0.6740  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  42.00  lbs. 


HONEY    LOCUST 


Honey  Locust,  Gleditsia  triacanthos. 

Leaves  7'  to  8'  long.     Leaflets   1 J/V  to  2'  long. 


PEA   FAMILY 

Winter  Buds. — Minute,  three  or  four  together,  upper  one  larger 
than  the  others.  Spine  bud  minute,  above  the  axil  of  the  leaf  and 
embedded  in  the  bark. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  pinnately  or  bi-pinnately  compound,  seven 
to  eight  inches  long,  main  stem  grooved,  enlarged  at  the  base,  eigh- 
teen to  twenty  foliate  ;  sometimes  bi-pinnate  with  four  to  seven  pairs 
of  pinnae,  upper  pair  often  four  or  five  inches  long,  lowest  often 
single  leaflets.  Leaflets  lanceolate-oblong,  one  and  one-half  to 
two  inches  long,  rather  unequal  at  base,  crenulate-serrate,  slightly 
rounded  at  apex.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  reddish,  when  full 
grown  are  dark  green  and  shining  on  upper  surface,  dull  yellow 
green  beneath.     In  autumn  they  turn  a  clear  pale  yellow. 

Flowers. — May,  June.  Polygamo-dioecious,  regular,  small,  green- 
ish. Staminate  flowers  in  short,  many-flowered  racemes,  two  to  two 
and  one-half  inches  long.  Pistillate  in  slender,  few-flowered,  solitary 
racemes,  two  and  one-half  to  three  inches  long. 

Calyx. — Campanulate,  five-lobed,  hairy. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  greenish,  imbricate  in  bud. 

Stamens. — Five,  hairy,  exserted  ;  filaments  slender,  anthers  green. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  stipitate,  one-celled,  woolly  ;  style  short  ; 
stigma  dilated,  rudimentary  in  the  staminate  flower  ;  ovules  sev- 
eral. 

Fruit. — Legumes,  twelve  to  eighteen  inches  long,  dark  brown, 
slightly  curved,  borne  in  short  racemes,  walls  thin  and  tough,  inner 
coat  papery,  contain  quantity  of  sweet  pulp  between  the  seeds.  In 
drying  they  twist,  fall  in  early  winter.  Seeds  twelve  to  fourteen, 
oval,  flattened. 


The  foliage  of  the  Honey  Locust  is  that  of  the  common 
Locust  etherealized.  There  are  the  same  varied  values  in  its 
greens,  the  same  velvety  effects  in  the  mass,  but  the  effect 
as  a  whole  is  lighter,  more  delicate,  more  beautiful,  for  the 
leaves  are  doubly  pinnate  instead  of  singly  pinnate,  the  leaf- 
lets are  smaller  and  the  tree  itself  not  being  subject  to  at- 
tacks of  insects  oftener  attains  its  normal  proportions. 

The  most  striking  peculiarity  of  the  Honey  Locust  is  its 
thorns,  and  these  thorns  are  of  a  very  aggressive  type.  Many 
trees  are  literally  covered,  trunk  and  branches,  with  spines 
from  two  to  six  inches  long,  sometimes  in  clusters,  often  three 
pronged  or  compound,  very  sharp  and  rigid,  making  a  most 
formidable  defence  against  the  attacks  of  man  or  beast.  The 
origin  of  spines  or  prickles  is  always  interesting.     The  thorns 

114 


HONEY   LOCUST 

of  Robinia  pseudacacia^  the  common  Locust,  are  developed 
from  the  most  innocent-looking  stipules,  and  always  remain 
attached  to  the  bark.  But  the  spines  of  the  Honey  Locust 
have  their  origin  in  a  spine  bud  which  forms  usually  an  inch 
above  the  axil  of  the  leaf  in  which  the  normal  buds  are 
formed.  These  buds  also  form  on  the  trunk  or,  formed 
when  the  stem  was  young,  remain  dormant  on  the  trunk  un- 
til stimulated  into  life  by  some  means,  when  they  push 
through  the  thick  bark  and  develop  as  spines.  They  are  in 
fact  undeveloped  branches,  branches  that  have  failed  of  their 
normal  growth  of  leaf  and  bud  and  flower  and  have  become 
simply  spines,  aggressive,  offensive,  maybe  defensive  spines. 

All  deciduous  trees  produce  upon  occasion  or  hold  in  reserve 
adventitious  buds.  The  sprouts  that  force  their  way  through 
the  thick  bark  of  stumps  after  the  trunk  has  been  cut  down 
are  produced  by  adventitious  buds,  long  dormant  but  now 
stimulated  to  unusual  growth.  The  waving  twigs  that 
feather  the  trunk  of  many  an  elm  tree  have  the  same  genesis. 

The  Honey  Locust  frequently  becomes  a  picturesque  tree, 
the  trunk  becomes  twisted  and  the  branches  extend  horizon- 
tally. The  leaves  appear  late  in  the  spring  and  fall  early  in 
autumn,  which  is  always  an  objection  to  an  ornamental 
tree.  Unlike  the  Locust  its  flowers  are  inconspicuous. 
The  long,  flat,  pendulous  pods,  hang  in  clusters  from  the 
branches,  and  the  sweet  pulp  that  surrounds  the  seed  gives 
the  tree  its  common  name.  These  pods  contract  in  drying 
and  so  twist  and  curl  that  they  are  easily  rolled  by  the  wind 
some  distance  from  the  parent  tree.  Nature,  like  a  careful 
mother,  has  many  devices  to  aid  her  children,  and  when  she 
does  not  give  her  seeds  wings  to  soar  with  the  wind,  or 
prickles  to  cling  to  the  passer-by,  she  sometimes  provides  in 
the  seed  vessel  a  means  by  which  at  least  it  may  roll  itself 
into  a  home  of  its  own. 

The  Honey  Locust  has  many  qualities  to  recommend  it  as 
an  ornamental  tree.  It  grows  rapidly,  is  tolerant  of  many 
soils,  is  hardy  and  very  free  from  insects'  attacks.  It  can 
flourish  under  the  adverse  conditions  of  city  life  and  is  often 

115 


PEA   FAMILY 

planted  in  the  western   states   along  country  roads.     It  has 
also  been  used  most  successfully  as  a  hedge  plant. 

The  genus  Gleditsia  is  found  in  America,  Africa,  and  Asia 
but  not  at  present  in  Europe,  although  in  the  tertiary  period 
it  existed  there. 


YELLOW-WOOD.     VIRGILIA 

Cladrdstis  liitca 

Rarest  of  the  trees  of  eastern  North  America.  Found  principally 
on  the  limestone  cliffs  of  Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  North  Carolina, 
but  is  hardy  at  the  north  and  rather  extensively  cuhivated.  It 
likes  a  rich  moist  soil,  attains  the  height  of  fifty  feet,  the  trunk  is  very 
apt  to  divide  into  two  or  three  stems,  which  with  slender,  wide 
spreading,  pendulous  branches  form  a  graceful  head.  Roots  fibrous, 
branches  brittle. 

Bark.—'^vciOQ\\\  gray,  or  light  brown.  Branchlets  at  first  downy, 
but  soon  become  smooth,  light  brownish  green  ;  later  red  brown, 
finally  dark  brown. 

Wood. — Yellow  to  pale  brown  ;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained  and 
strong.     Sp.  gr.,  0.6278  ;   weight  of  cu.  ft.,  39.12  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Four  in  a  group,  making  a  tiny  cone  and  inclosed 
in  the  hollow  base  of  the  petiole. 

Z^rtz/<?j.— Alternate,  pinnately  compound,  eight  to  twelve  inches 
long,  main  stem  stout,  enlarged  at  base.  Leaflets  seven  to  eleven, 
broadly  oval,  three  to  four  inches  long.  Wedge-shaped  at  base, 
entire,  acute,  terminal  leaflets  rhomboid-ovate.  Feather-veined, 
midrib  and  primary  veins  prominent,  grooved  above,  light  yellow 
beneath.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  pale  green,  downy  ;  when  full 
grown  are  dark  green  above,  pale  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  a 
bright  clear  yellow. 

Flowers. — June.  Perfect,  papilionaceous,  white,  borne  in  droop- 
ing terminal  panicles  twelve  to  fourteen  inches  long,  five  to  six 
inches  broad,  slightly  fragrant. 

Calyx. — Campanulate,  five-lobed,  enlarged  on  the  upper  side. 

Corolla. — Papilionaceous;  standard  broad,  white,  marked  on  the 
inner  surface  with  a  pale  yellow  blotch  ;  wings  oblong  ;  keel  petals 
free. 

Stamens. — Ten,  free  ;  filaments  thread-like. 

116 


YELLOW-WOOD 


Yellow-wood,  Cladastiis  Intea. 

Leaves  8'  to   12'  long.     Leaflets  V  to  4'  long. 


PEA   FAMILY 

Pistil.  — 0\3ixy  superior,  linear,    bright  red.  hairy,  bearing  a  long 
incurved  style. 

Fruit.— htgnme,  smooth,  linear-compressed,  tipped  with  the  rem- 
nants of  the  styles.     Seeds  four  to  six,  dark  brown. 


Yellow-wood  is  recommended  as  really  one  of  the  best 
medium  sized  trees  for  cultivation.  The  only  objection  that 
is  mentioned  is  a  tendency  of  the  trunk  to  divide  very  near 
the  ground.  The  autumnal  coloring  of  the  leaves  is  a  par- 
ticularly clear  bright  yellow. 


ii8 


ROSACEA— ROSE    FAMILY 

CANADA    PLUM.      RED    PLUM 

Pruniis  nigra 

A  small  tree  twenty  feet  in  height,  dividing  five  or  six  feet  from 
the  ground  into  a  number  of  stout  upright  branches  which  form  a 
rigid  head.  Prefers  alluvial  soil.  Ranges  from  Newfoundland 
through  the  St.  Lawrence  valley  to  Manitoba.  By  cultivation  is 
naturalized  in  parts  of  Michigan,  northern  New  England  and  north- 
ern New  York. 

Bark.  — Gray  brown,  outer  layer  comes  off  in  thick  plates.  Branch- 
lets  are  bright  green  at  first,  later  become  dark  brown  tinged  with 
red. 

Wood. — Bright  red  brown  ;  heavy,  hard,  strong  and  close-grained. 
Sp.  gr.,  0.6918  ;   weight  of  cu.  ft.,  43.17. 

Winter  Buds. — Chestnut  brown,  acuminate,  one-eighth  to  one- 
fourth  of  an  inch  long.  Scales  of  flower  buds  grow  with  the  expand- 
ing flowers  and  become  pale  green  tinged  with  pink. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  oblong-ovate  or  obovatc,  three  to  five 
inches  long,  one  and  a  half  to  three  inches  broad,  wedge-shaped  or 
slightly  heart-shaped  or  rounded  at  base,  doubly  crenulate-serrate, 
abruptly  contracted  to  a  narrow  point  at  the  apex,  feather-veined, 
midrib  conspicuous.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  convolute,  downy, 
slightly  tinged  with  red,  when  full  grown  are  smooth,  bright  green 
above,  paler  beneath.  Petioles  stout,  bearing  two  large  dark  glands. 
Stipules  lanceolate  or  three  to  five-lobed,  early  deciduous. 

Flowers.— M2iy,  before  the  leaves.  Perfect,  white,  slightly  fra- 
grant, borne  in  three  to  four-flowered  umbels,  with  short  thick  pe- 
duncles.    The  pedicels  of  the  blossoms  are  slender  and  dark  red. 

Calyx. — Conic,  dark  red,  five-lobed  ;  lobes  acute,  finally  reflexed, 
glandular,  smooth  on  the  inner  surface,  imbricate  in  bud. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  inserted  on  the  calyx  tube,  white,  turning 
pink  in  fading,  margin  more  or  less  erose,  ovate,  rounded,  with 
short  claws,  imbricate  in  bud. 

119 


ROSE    FAMILY 

Stamens. — Fifteen  to  twenty,  inserted  on  the  calyx  tube  ;  filaments 
thread-like  ;  anthers  purplish,  introrse,  two-celled  ;  cells  opening 
longitudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  one,  superior,  in  the  bottom  of  calyx  tube,  one- 
celled  ;  ovules  two. 

Frjiit. — Drupe,  oblong-oval,  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  quarter 
long  \vith  a  tough,  thick,  orange  red  skin,  free  from  bloom,  yellow 
flesh  adherent  to  the  stone.  Stone  oval,  compressed.  August,  Sep- 
tember.    Cotyledons  thick  and  fleshy. 

The  Canada  Plum  is  a  northern  tree,  which  is  distributed 
through  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence  and  westward  as  far 
as  Lake  Manitoba  ;  its  range  extends  southward  into  New 
England,  New  York,  and  the  north-western  states.  It  is 
found  in  the  neighborhood  of  streams  in  rich  alluvial  soil 
and  along  the  borders  of  the  forest. 

The  tree  is  small  and  its  branches  are  very  stiff  and  rigid. 
They  have  a  fashion  in  their  second  year  of  putting  out 
branchlets  which  are  spines,  to  all  intents  and  purposes, 
though  they  become  leafy. 

Whoever  played  when  a  child  under  a  wild  plum  tree  will 
always  remember  the  "hollow  green  plums  "  that  frequently 
hung  on  the  branches  or  were  scattered  over  the  ground  in 
May.  They  were  of  full  size,  pale  green,  leathery  to  the 
touch  and  hollow,  with  the  exception  of  a  few  fibrous  bands. 
They  were,  indeed,  a  puzzle  to  childish  eyes,  but  later  we 
learned  that  they  are  caused  by  a  fungus  and  that  they  are 
called  plum  pockets.  This  disease  also  attacks  cultivated 
plums  ;  the  young  ovaries,  just  after  the  fruit  sets,  swell, 
often  reach  the  size  of  full  grown  plums,  become  hollow  and 
soon  fall  to  the  ground. 

The  fruit  of  the  Canada  Plum  is  sold  in  large  quantities  in 
the  markets  of  Canada  and  the  northern  states  ;  it  is  eaten 
raw  or  cooked  and  is  made  into  preserves  and  jellies. 

The  Prunus  americana,  or  Wild  Plum,  is  a  southern  rather 
than  a  northern  tree.  Beginning  from  middle  New  Jer- 
sey and  central  New  York  its  range  extends  westward  to 
the  foot-hills  of  the  Rockies  and  southward  to  the  mountains 
of   Mexico.     It  has  been  very  generally  confounded  with  F. 

120 


CANADA   PLUM 


Fiuiting-  Spniy  of  Canada  Fluni.  Pnuins  iiionx. 

Leaves  5'  to  3'  long,   1^2'  to  5'  broad. 


ROSE    FAMILY 

nigra  or  Canada  Plum.  The  fruit  is  smaller,  rounder  than 
that  of  the  Canada  Plum  and  bright  red  in  color.  Many  cul- 
tivated varieties  have  been  derived  from  this  species,  as  it 
quickly  responds  to  the  gardener's  care  ;  it  also  forms  an  ex- 
cellent stock  upon  which  to  graft  the  domestic  plum. 

Professor  Sargent  says  of  this  tree,  "  As  an  ornamental 
plant  P.  afnericana  has  real  value  ;  the  long  wand-like 
branches  form  a  wide,  graceful  head  which  is  handsome  in 
winter  and  in  spring  is  covered  with  masses  of  pure  white 
flowers  followed  by  ample  bright  foliage  and  abundant  showy 
fruit." 

Exudations  of  gum  from  the  bark  of  plum  and  cherry  trees 
area  very  common  sight.  This  is  generally  known  as  Cherry 
gum  and  is  a  characteristic  of  the  Fruiius  genus.  As  it  first 
appears  it  is  liquid  and  colorless,  but  with  exposure  to  the 
air  it  hardens  and  becomes  dark.  When  dry  it  is  brittle,  with 
an  insipid,  sweet  or  astringent  flavor. 

The  wild  plums  have  been  found  to  be  the  hosts  of  the 
Hop-aphis  which  is  so  destructive  to  the  hops  just  at  the  time 
of  their  maturity  and  as  a  consequence  it  has  been  recom- 
mended that  all  plum  trees  in  the  vicinity  of  hop  fields  should 
be  cut  down. 

WILD  RED  CHERRY.     BIRD  CHERRY 

Prunus  pennsylvdiiica. 

A  rapid-growing  short-lived  tree  with  bitter  aromatic  bark  and 
leaves,  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  height,  regular  slender  branches  which 
form  a  narrow  head  more  or  less  rounded  at  the  summit  ;  often  in 
the  north  a  shrub  only.  Roots  fibrous.  Common  throughout  the 
northern  states  ;  prefers  a  rich  moist  soil ;  reaches  its  greatest  size 
on  the  mountains  of  Tennessee  and  often  occupies  large  areas  after 
they  have  been  cleared  by  fire  of  their  original  forests.  Will  grow 
in  exposed  locations. 

Bark. — Dark,  red  brown,  conspicuously  marked  with  lenticels, 
smooth  and  polished  on  young  stems  and  branches,  but  on  older 
trunks  separates  horizontally  into  broad  papery  plates.     Branchlets 


WILD    RED    CHERRY 


Fruitinj,^  Branch  of  Wild  Red  Cherry,  Priinns  pennsvlvanica. 

Leaves  3'  to  3'  long.     Cherries  \i'  in  diameter. 


ROSE    FAMILY 

light  red  and  lustrous,  finally  red  brown.  They  develop  in  their 
second  year  spur-like  branchlets. 

Wood. — Light  brown,  sapwood  pale  yellow  ;  light,  soft,  close- 
grained.     Sp.  gr.,  0.5023;   weight  of  cu.  ft.,  31.30  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Brown,  small,  acute,  often  aggregated. 

Leaves. — Alternate  or  in  pairs,  simple,  oblong-lanceolate,  three  to 
five  inches  long,  three-quarters  of  an  inch  to  an  inch  broad,  wedge- 
shaped  or  rounded  at  base,  serrate,  acute  or  acuminate.  Feather 
veined.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate  and  bronze  green  ; 
when  full  grown  are  bright  lustrous  green  above,  paler  beneath.  In 
autumn  they  turn  a  bright  yellow.  Petioles  slender,  grooved,  smooth 
or  hairy,  often  glandular  above  the  middle.  Stipules  acuminate, 
serrate  and  early  deciduous. 

Flowe7-s. — May,  when  leaves  are  half  grown.  Perfect,  white,  one- 
half  inch  across,  borne  on  slender  pedicels  in  four  or  five-flowered 
umbels,  generally  clustered,  two  or  three  together. 

Calyx. — Campanulate,  smooth,  five-lobed  ;  lobes  obtuse,  tipped 
with  red,  finally  reflexed,  imbricate  in  bud. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  cream-white,  one-fourth  of  an  inch  long, 
nearly  orbicular,  with  short  claws,  inserted  on  the  calyx  tube. 

Stamens. — Fifteen  to  twenty,  inserted  on  calyx  cup  ;  filaments 
thread-like,  smooth ;  anthers  introrse,  two-celled  ;  cells  opening  lon- 
gitudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  one,  superior,  set  in  the  calyx  cup,  smooth,  one- 
celled  ;  style  filiform  ;  stigma  capitate  ;  ovules  two. 

Fruit. — Drupe,  globular,  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  tipped 
with  remnants  of  the  style,  light  red  with  thin  skin  and  sour  flesh. 
July.     Stone  oblong  ;  cotyledons  thick  and  fleshy. 

The  ease  with  which  the  seeds  of  Pruz/us  pennsyliumica  are  disseminated 
by  birds  and  mountain  streams,  their  vitality  and  power  of  germination  in  soil 
where  the  upper  layers  of  humus  have  been  destroyed  by  fire,  and  the  rapid 
growth  of  the  young  plants,  which  soon  form  a  covering  for  longer-lived  trees, 
constitute  the  chief  value  and  interest  of  this  plant,  which  in  the  northern  part 
of  the  country  east  of  the  mid-continental  plateau,  has  played  an  important 
part  in  the  reproduction  and  preservation  of  the  forests. 

—  Garden  and  Forest. 


The  range  of  the  Wild  Red  Cherry  is  northern,  it  rarely 
goes  south  and  then  only  by  way  of  the  mountain  tops.  In 
its  best  estate  the  tree  is  fifty  feet  high,  but  ordinarily  it  is 
much  smaller  and  it  often  constitutes  the  bulk  of  the  un- 
dergrowth of  a  forest.  It  bears  the  reddish  brown,  shinin 
bark  characteristic  of  all  the  cherries,  which  peels  off  in  hor^ 
izontal  strips  which  is  also  a  characteristic  of  the  cherries 

124 


<y 


CHOKE   CHERRY 

It  loves  ravines  and  rocky  woods,  will  grow  and  flourish 
directly  on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  taking  "  Free- 
dom's northern  wind  "  all  winter  without  the  slightest  detri- 
ment to  its  well-being. 

It  blooms  profusely  in  early  spring  before  the  leaves  are 
very  much  in  evidence  ;  the  tiny  white  blossoms  are  borne 
in  clusters  of  five  to  eight-flowered  umbels,  and  fairly  cover 
the  tree. 

The  shining  green  leaves  are  thickly  set  upon  the  spray 
making  a  denser  foliage  than  that  of  the  Black  Cherry,  and  by 
the  middle  of  July  all  the  branches  of  a  fruiting  tree  are  so 
covered  with  clusters  of  berries  as  to  make  it  as  a  whole  look 
red.  They  do  not  remain  long,  however,  for  the  birds  love 
them,  sour  as  they  are,  and  carry  them  away  in  a  few  days. 

When  midsummer  comes  the  leaves  frequently  take  the 
poise  of  the  peach  leaf,  curving  in  at  the  edges  and  drooping 
curved  from  the  branch. 


CHOKE  CHERRY,  WILD  CHERRY 

Pricniis  virginiaiia. 

A  shrub  throughout  the  north,  only  becoming  a  tree  in  the  south- 
western part  of  the  United  States. 

Bark. — Dark  brown,  slightly  fissured.  Branchlets  at  first  light 
brown  or  reddish  green,  later  they  become  darker  brown  tinged  with 
red,  and  finally  dark  brown  ;  outer  layer  of  bark  separates  easily  in 
horizontal  bands  from  the  inner.  Inner  bark  has  a  disagreeable 
odor. 

Wood. — Light  brown  ;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained.  Sp.  gr. ,  0.6951  ; 
weight  of  cu.  ft.,  43.32  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Chestnut  brown,  acute  or  obtuse.  Inner  scales 
enlarge  when  spring  growth  begins,  and  often  become  an  inch  long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  oval,  two  to  four  inches  long,  one  to  two 
inches  broad,  wedge-shaped,  or  rounded  at  base,  serrate,  acuminate. 
Feather-veined.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate,  pale, 
hairy  ;  when  full  grown  are  bright  green  above,  paler  beneath.  In 
autumn  they  turn  yellow.  Petioles  grooved,  slender,  two  glands 
near  the  apex,  sometimes  many-glandular.  Stipules  lanceolate, 
acute,  serrate,  early  deciduous. 

125 


ROSE    FAMILY 

Flowers. — May,  after  the  leaves.  Perfect,  white,  borne  in  a  many 
flowered  raceme,  three  to  six  inches  long,  one-half  to  one-third  of 
an  inch  in  diameter. 

Calyx. — Cup-shaped,  five-lobed  ;  lobes,  short,  obtuse,  reflexed, 
deciduous. 

Corolla.  — VqXtAs  five,  white,  orbicular,  with  short  cfaws,  inserted 
on  the  calyx  tube,  imbricate  in  bud. 

Stamens. — Fifteen  to  twenty,  inserted  on  calyx  tube  ;  style  short, 
thick  ;  stigma  broad. 

Pistil. — Ovary  one,  superior,  at  the  base  of  the  calyx  tube  ;  ovules 
two. 

Fruit. — Drupe,  globular,  dark  red,  or  nearly  black,  or  yellow,  with 
shining  skin,  dark  red  flesh.  In  taste  astringent,  though  there  is 
much  difference  in  the  product  of  different  bushes.  Stone  oblong- 
ovate  ;  cotyledons  thick  and  fleshy. 

The  Cherrie  trees  yeeld  great  store  of  cherries  which  grow  on  clusters  hke 
grapes  ;  they  be  much  smaller  than  our  English  Cherrie,  nothing  neare  so  good 
if  they  be  not  very  ripe  ;  they  so  furred  the  mouth  that  the  tongue  will  cleave  to 
the  roofe,  and  the  throate  was  horse  with  swallowing  those  red  Bullies  (as  1  may 
call  them),  being  little  better  in  taste.  English  ordering  may  bring  them  to  be 
an  English  Cherrie,  but  yet  they  are  as  wilde  as  the  Indians. 

— Wood.     "  New  England's  Prospects." 

Our  early  writer  seems  to  have  learned  all  there  is  to 
know  about  Choke  Cherries,  and  every  one  whose  childhood 
was  spent  in  New  England  or  the  middle  states  has  had  a 
similar  experience.  Such  an  one  would  never  think  of  the 
Choke  Cherry  as  a  tree.  To  him  it  is  always  a  bush,  a  bush 
of  varying  height  growing  by  creek  and  river  side,  in  fence 
corners,  at  the  ^^g^  of  thickets,  and  bearing  long  clusters  of 
berries  of  different  degrees  of  harshness  and  astringency. 
But  in  that  wonderful  region  round  about  Nebraska,  north- 
ern Texas  and  Indian  Territory  where  every  vegetable  creat- 
ure with  the  slightest  aspirations  toward  treehood  seems 
able  to  gratify  them,  our  humble  Choke  Cherry  stretches  its 
stem,  lengthens  its  branches  and  becomes  a  tree.  There  is, 
however,  no  record  that  by  growing  larger  it  has  grown 
better,  the  fruit  is  still  harsh  and  astringent,  loved,  indeed, 
by  the  birds,  but  forsaken  by  the  children  when  they  can 
get  anything  better.  It  is  recorded,  that  in  the  early  days 
the  Indians  of  the  north  and  west  and  central  part  of  the 

126 


CHOKE    CHERRY 


Fruiting  Spray  of  Choke  Cherry,  Pninns  virgiiiuvu. 

Leaves  2'  to  4'  long,  i'  to  2'  broad. 


ROSE    FAMILY 

continent  prized  it  highly,  and  that  it  was  to  them  an  im- 
portant article  of  food. 

However,  the  Choke  Cherry  has  recently  come  into  ex- 
tensive cultivation  on  the  clay  flats  bordering  the  Richelieu 
and  St.  Lawrence  Rivers  in  the  province  of  Quebec.  It  is 
cultivated  mostly  in  tree  form  and  the  fruit  varies  greatly, 
not  only  in  size  and  color  but  also  in  degree  of  astringency. 

Professor  Sargent  says  :  "  This  is  the  most  widely  dis- 
tributed North  American  tree.  It  is  found  within  the  arctic 
circle,  ranging  across  the  continent  from  the  Atlantic  to  the 
Pacific,  it  extends  southward  until  it  reaches  the  Gulf  states 
and  northern  Mexico." 

All  our  wild  cherries  and  plums  carry  with  them  a  menace 
to  the  health  and  well-being  of  cultivated  cherries  and  plums. 
For  all  are  subject  to  a  disease  native  to  this  continent,  known 
as  Black  Knot.  This  warty  excrescence  was  formerly  sup- 
posed to  be  caused  by  insects,  but  it  is  now  known  to  be  the 
result  of  a  fungus  which  attacks  the  tree  and  the  disease 
easily  passes  from  the  native  to  the  cultivated  species.  In 
many  districts  it  is  now  impossible  to  grow  cherries  and 
plums  because  of  it.  The  Choke  Cherry  is  especially  sub- 
ject to  its  attack,  and  this  makes  the  tree  a  dangerous  neigh- 
bor to  orchards  of  cultivated  fruit. 

BLACK   CHERRY 

PriDiiis  serotina 

A  tree  with  a  stout  sturdy  trunk,  spreading  branches  and  round 
head,  sometimes  a  narrow  oblong  head.  Usually  forty  to  fifty  feet 
high,  but  on  the  slopes  of  the  southern  AUeghanies  reaches  the  height 
of  one  hundred  feet.  Prefers  a  rich  moist  soil,  but  will  grow  on  light 
sandy  soil,  and  will  also  endure  the  winds  of  the  sea-shore.  Grows 
rapidly.     Widely  distributed  by  the  birds. 

Bark. — On  old  trunks  blackish  and  rough,  broken  into  small  irreg- 
ular roundish  plates ;  on  young  trunks  and  large  limbs  smooth  and 
shining,  red  brown  marked  with  scattered  lines  and  sometimes  sepa- 
rating into  horizontal  bands  which  curl  at   the   edges.     Branchlets 

128 


BLACK    CHERRY 


Fruiting  Branch  of  Black  Cherry,  Pnmns  serottna. 

Leaves  2'  to  5'  long.     Cherries  Yi'  \o  Yi'  in  diameter. 


ROSE    FAMILY 

pale  green  or  reddish  green  and  smooth,  lenticular,  later  reddish 
brown,  finally  become  red  brown  or  gray  brown.  Inner  bark  has  a 
pleasant  and  aromatic  odor,  bitter  and  aromatic  to  the  taste. 

Wood. — Light  brown  or  red,  darkening  with  exposure  ;  light, 
strong,  close-grained,  susceptible  of  a  fine  polish.  Of  great  value 
in  cabinet  work  and  interior  finish  of  houses,  now  becoming  scarce. 
Sp.  gr.,  0.5822  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  36.28  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Chestnut  brown,  obtuse,  one-half  to  two-thirds  of 
an  inch  long.  When  spring  growth  begins  the  inner  scales  enlarge 
and  become  one-half  to  two-thirds  of  an  inch  in  length. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  oblong  to  lanceolate-oblong,  two  to 
five  inches  long,  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  broad,  wedge-shaped 
or  rounded  at  base,  serrate,  edges  often  crinkled,  gradually  acumi- 
nate or  rarely  rounded  at  apex.  Feather-veined,  midrib  grooved 
above,  prominent  beneath,  primary  veins  slender.  They  come  out 
of  the  bud  conduplicate,  reddish  green  ;  when  full  grown  are  deep 
shining  green  above,  paler  beneath  ;  in  autumn  they  turn  a  clear 
bright  yellow.  Petioles  slender,  terete,  often  marked  with  dark  red 
glands.     Stipules  caducous. 

Flowers. — May,  June,  when  leaves  are  half  grown.  Perfect,  white, 
about  one-fourth  of  an  inch  across,  borne  in  narrow,  many-flowered 
racemes  three  to  four  inches  long. 

Calyx. — Cup-shaped  tube,  five-lobed,  lobes  obtuse,  reflexed,  per- 
sistent, imbricate  in  bud. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  white,  obovate,  inserted  on  the  calyx  tube, 
imbricate  in  bud. 

Stamens. — Fifteen  to  twenty,  inserted  on  the  calyx  tube  with  the 
petals;  filaments  thread-like;  anthers  introrse,  two-celled;  cells 
opening  longitudinally. 

Pistil.— Ov2iry  superior,  one,  set  in  the  bottom  of  the  calyx  tube  ; 
stigma  thick,  club-shaped. 

7^;-7^zV.— Drupe,  depressed-globular,  one-third  to  one-half  inch  in 
diameter,  shining  black  skin,  dark  purple  juicy  flesh.  Calyx  lobes 
persistent  on  the  fruit.  August,  September.  Stone  oblong-ovate  ; 
cotyledons  thick  and  fleshy. 

Wild  cherry,  they  grow  in  clusters  like  grapes,  of  the  same  bigness,  blackish 
red  when  ripe,  and  of  a  harsh  taste. 

— JossELYN.      "  New  England  Rarities." 

Prunus  serotina  is  very  generally  known  because  of  its  cher- 
ries. These  cherries  are  flattened  juicy  globes  the  size  of 
large  peas,  with  a  shining  black  skin  and  dark  purple  flesh  ; 
borne  in  a  somewhat  straggling  raceme.  When  ripe  they  are 
slightly  bitter  with  a  pleasant  vinous  flavor  and  from  the 
standpoint  of  one  who  ate  them  in  childhood  delicious.    When 

130 


BLACK    CHERRY 


Trunk  ul  Blick  Choiry,  Pihuhs  sctol/iui. 


ROSE    FAMILY 

macerated  and  soaked  in  rum  or  brandy  they  give  to  the 
liquor  a  peculiar  and  agreeable  flavor,  making  what  is  known 
as  Cherry  Bounce.  This  flavor  is  due  to  a  principle  called 
amygdaiin,  found  also  in  laurel  leaves,  bitter  almonds,  peach 
and  plum  stones,  which  under  the  action  of  a  ferment  breaks 
up  into  grape  sugar,  oil  of  bitter  almonds,  and  hydrocyanic 
or  prussic  acid.  This  active  principle  exists  in  very  many  of 
the  Rosacece^  notably  in  Prunus  caroliniana,  a  southern  ever- 
green species  which  is  extensively  used  in  the  south  as  a 
hedge  plant.  It  is  there  against  the  law  to  throw  the  prun- 
ings  of  this  plant  into  the  street  or  where  they  may  be  eaten 
by  cattle.  Birds  in  fact  have  been  known  to  be  overcome  by 
a  too  greedy  consumption  of  black  cherries. 

The  bark  of  the  Black  Cherry  is  bitter  and  aromatic  and 
held  a  large  place  among  the  home  remedies  of  an  earlier 
generation. 

The  flowers  are  small,  closely  set  by  short  stems  in  a  sim- 
ple raceme.  The  central  axis  is  erect  or  curved  upward  in 
flowering,  which  begins  at  the  bottom  ;  afterward  it  bends 
with  the  weight  of  the  fruit.  Only  a  small  proportion  of  the 
flowers  produce  fruit. 

The  tree  is  large  and  sturdy  with  a  spreading  handsome 
head,  and  may  be  easily  known  by  its  smooth,  shining,  red- 
dish brown  branches,  for  only  the  trunk  becomes  rough,  and 
in  young  trees  that  is  smooth.  The  spray  is  slender  and 
pendulous.  The  smooth  shining  leaves  are  set  alternately 
and  rather  close  together,  and  often  in  midsummer  heat  they 
assume  the  poise  of  the  ash  and  at  a  distance  when  only  part 
of  the  tree  can  be  seen  it  may  easily  be  mistaken  for  an  ash. 

The  Black  Cherry  grows  very  rapidly,  often  adding  an  inch 
a  year  to  its  diameter.  The  wood  is  firm,  close-grained,  of  a 
light  red,  darkening  with  age.  It  takes  a  fine  polish  and 
when  perfectly  seasoned  will  not  shrink  or  warp,  and  is  much 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  furniture. 


132 


CRAB  APPLE 


CRAB  APPLE.  FRAGRANT  CRAB 

Pyrus  coronaria 

Pyrus  is  the  classical  name  of  the  pear  tree,  which  was  adopted 
by  Linnaeus  for  this  genus. 

Often  a  bushy  shrub  with  rigid,  contorted  branches  but  frequently 
becomes  a  small  tree  with  a  broad  open  head.  Prefers  rich  moist 
soil ;  is  most  abundant  in  the  middle  and  western  states,  reaches  its 
greatest  size  in  the  valleys  of  the  lower  Ohio  basin. 

Bark. — Reddish  brown,  longitudinally  fissured,  with  surface  sepa- 
rating in  narrow  scales.  Branchlets  at  first  coated  with  thick  white 
tomentum,  later  they  become  smooth  reddish  brown  ;  they  develop 
in  their  second  year  long,  spur-like  branches  and  sometimes  absolute 
thorns  an  inch  or  more  in  length. 

Wood. — Reddish  brown,  sapw^ood  yellow;  heavy,  close-grained, 
not  strong.  Used  for  the  handles  of  tools  and  small  domestic  arti- 
cles.    Sp.  gr.,  0.7048  ;   weight  of  cu.  ft.,  43.92. 

Winter  Buds. — Bright  red,  obtuse,  minute.  Inner  scales  grow 
with  the  growing  shoot,  become  half  an  inch  long  and  bright  red 
before  they  fall. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  ovate,  three  to  four  inches  long,  one 
and  one-half  to  two  inches  broad,  obtuse,  subcordate  or  acute  at 
base,  incisely  serrate,  often  three-lobed  on  vigorous  shoots,  acute  at 
apex.  Feather-veined,  midrib  and  primary  veins  grooved  above, 
prominent  beneath.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  involute,  red  bronze, 
tomentose  and  downy  ;  when  full  grown  are  bright  dark  green  above, 
paler  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  yellow.  Petioles  slender,  long, 
often  with  two  dark  glands  near  the  middle.  Stipules  filiform,  half 
an  inch  long,  early  deciduous. 

Flowers. — May,  June,  when  leaves  are  nearly  grown.  Perfect,  rose- 
colored,  fragrant,  one  and  one-half  inch  to  two  inches  across.  Borne 
in  five  or  six-flowcrcd  umbels  on  slender  pedicels. 

Calyx. — Urn-shaped,  downy  or  tomentose,  five-lobed  ;  lobes  slen- 
der, acute,  persistent,  imbricate  in  bud. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  rose  colored,  obovate,  rounded  above,  with 
long  narrow  claws,  undulate  or  crenulate  at  margin,  inserted  on  the 
calyx  tube,  imbricate  in  bud. 

.Stamens. — Ten  to  twenty,  inserted  on  the  calyx  tube,  shorter  than 
the  petals  ;  filaments  by  a  partial  twist  forming  a  tube  narrowed  in 
the  middle  and  enlarged  above  ;  anthers  introrse,  two-celled  ;  cells 
opening  longitudinally. 

133 


ROSE    FAMILY 

Pistil. — Of  five  carpels  inserted  in  the  bottom  of  the  calyx  tube 
and  united  into  an  inferior  ovary  ;  styles  live  ;  stigma  capitate ; 
ovules  two  in  each  cell. 

Fruit. — Pome  or  apple  ripening  in  October.  Depressed-globular, 
an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter,  crowned  with  calyx  lobes 
and  remnant  of  filaments  ;  yellow  green,  delightfully  fragrant,  sur- 
face sometimes  waxy.  Flesh  white,  delicate  and  charged  with  ma- 
lic acid.  Seeds  two  or,  by  abortion,  one  in  each  cell,  chestnut 
brown,  shining  ;  cotyledons  fleshy. 

As  the  apple  tree  among  the  trees  of  the  wood, 
So  is  my  beloved  among  the  sons. 

— Song  of  Solomon. 

Kalm,  who  was  one  of  the  twelve  men  whom  Linnaeus  called  his  apostles  and 
sent  forth  to  explore  the  vegetable  world,  writes  thus  from  America  : 

"Crab-trees  are  a  species  of  wild  apple-trees,  which  grow  in  the  woods  and 
glades,  but  especially  on  little  hillocks,  near  rivers.  In  New  Jersey  the  tree  is 
rather  scarce  ;  but  in  Pennsylvania  it  is  plentiful.  Some  people  had  planted  a 
single  tree  of  this  kind  near  their  houses  on  account  of  the  fine  smells  which  its 
flowers  afford.  It  had  begun  to  open  some  of  its  flowers  about  a  day  or  two 
ago  ;  however,  most  of  them  were  not  yet  open.  They  are  exactly  like  the  blos- 
soms of  the  common  apple-trees  except  that  the  color  is  a  little  more  reddish  in 
the  Crab-trees  ;  though  some  kinds  of  the  cultivated  trees  have  flowers  which 
are  very  near  as  red  ;  but  the  smell  distinguishes  them  plainly  ;  for  the  wild 
trees  have  a  very  pleasant  smell,  somewhat  like  the  raspberry. 

''The  apples,  or  crabs,  are  small,  sour  and  unfit  for  anything  but  to  make  vine- 
gar of.  They  lie  under  the  trees  all  winter  and  acquire  a  yellow  color.  They 
seldom  begin  to  rot  before  spring  comes  on." 

When  man  emerges  into  history  he  has  the  apple  in  his 
hand  and  the  dog  by  his  side.  We  have  no  reason  to  believe 
that  the  European  or  Asiatic  forbear  from  which  the  apple 
Of  civilization  is  descended  was  any  less  harsh  in  taste  or  any 
larger  in  size  than  our  own  crab.  Indeed,  were  all  the  apples 
of  civilization  swept  out  of  existence  they  could  doubtless  be 
regained  by  the  cultivation  of  our  native  tree.  As  it  is,  it 
stands  in  all  its  wild  and  untrained  beauty,  its  greatest  charm 
lying,  as  Kalm  clearly  apprehended,  in  its  rose-colored  blos- 
soms, exquisite  in  tint  and  delicious  in  fragrance.  Its  flow- 
ering time  is  ten  days  to  two  weeks  later  than  that  of  the 
domestic  apple,  and  its  fragrant  fruit  clings  to  the  branches 
on  clustered  stems  long  after  the  leaves  have  fallen. 


134 


CRAB    APPLE 


Fruitiiii:  Spray  of  Ciab  Apple,  Pjriis  coroiuria. 

Leaves  5'  to  4'  long.     Apples  1'  to  i^i'  in  diameter. 


ROSE  FAMILY 


MOUNTAIN  ASH 

Pyrus  americana 

A  small  tree  which  loves  the  north  and  climbs  the  high  mountain 
ranges  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  but  does  not  cross  the  Rock- 
ies. Prefers  a  rich  moist  soil  and  the  borders  of  swamps,  but  will 
flourish  on  rocky  hillsides.  Attains  its  largest  size  on  the  northern 
shores  of  Lakes  Huron  and  Superior  ;  in  the  United  States  it  is  usu- 
ally a  shrub. 

Bark. — Light  gray,  smooth,  surface  scaly.  Branchlets  downy  at 
first,  later  become  smooth,  brown  tinged  with  red,  lenticular,  finally 
they  become  darker  and  the  papery  outer  layer  becomes  easily  sep- 
arable. 

Wood. — Pale  brown  ;  light,  soft,  close-grained  but  weak.  Sp.  gr., 
0.5451  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  33.97  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Dark  red,  acute,  one-fourth  to  three-quarters  of 
an  inch  long.  Inner  scales  are  very  tomentose  and  enlarge  with 
the  growing  shoot. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  compound,  unequally  pinnate,  six  to  ten 
inches  long,  with  slender,  grooved,  dark  green  or  red  petiole.  Leaflets 
thirteen  to  seventeen,  lanceolate  or  long  oval,  two  to  three  inches 
long,  one-half  to  two-thirds  broad,  unequally  wedge-shaped  or 
rounded  at  base,  serrate,  acuminate,  sessile,  the  terminal  one  some- 
times borne  on  a  stalk  half  an  inch  long,  feather-veined,  midrib 
prominent  beneath,  grooved  above.  They  come  out  of  the  bud 
downy,  conduplicate  ;  when  full  grown  are  smooth,  dark  yellow  green 
above  and  paler  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  a  clear  yellow. 
Stipules  leaf-like,  caducous. 

Flowers. — May,  June,  after  the  leaves  are  full  grown.  Perfect, 
white,  one-eighth  of  an  inch  across,  borne  in  flat  compound  cymes 
three  or  four  inches  across.  Bracts  and  bractlets  acute,  minute, 
caducous. 

Calyx. — Urn-shaped,  hairy,  five-lobed  ;  lobes,  short,  acute,  im- 
bricate in  bud. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  creamy  white,  orbicular,  contracted  into 
short  claws,  inserted  on  calyx,  imbricate  in  bud. 

Stamens. — Twenty  to  thirty,  inserted  on  calyx  tube  ;  filaments 
thread-like  ;  anthers  introrse,  two-celled ;  cells  opening  longi- 
tudinally. 

Pistil. — Two  to  three  carpels  inserted  in  the  bottom  of  the  calyx 
tube  and  united  into  an  inferior  ovary.  Styles  two  to  three;  stig- 
mas capitate  ;  ovules  two  in  each  cell. 

136 


MOUNTAIN   ASH 


Fruitiiiji'  Spray  oi  Mountain  Ash,  Pj>rns  aiuericaiu. 

Leaves  6'  to   ic/  long.     Leaflets  2'  to  3'  long. 


ROSE    FAMILY 

Fruit. — Berry-like  pome,  globular,  one-quarter  of  an  inch  across, 
bright  red,  borne  in  cymous  clusters.  Ripens  in  October  and  re- 
mains on  the  tree  all  winter.  Flesh  thin  and  sour,  charged  with  malic 
acid  ;  seeds  light  brown,  oblong,  compressed  ;  cotyledons  fleshy. 

The  mountain  Ash, 
Decked  with  autumnal  berries  that  outshine 
Springs  richest  blossoms,  yields  a  splendid  show 
Amid  the  leafy  woods. 

— Wordsworth. 


Our  Mountain  Ash,  Pyrus  aniericajia,  so  nearly  resembles 
the  European,  Pyrus  aiicuparta^  in  general  appearance  of 
leaves  and  blossoms  that  many  botanists  consider  it  merely 
a  variety  ;  but  in  form  it  differs  considerably,  nor  does  it  ever 
become  so  handsome  a  tree. 

The  berries  look  as  if  they  might  be  good  to  eat,  but  it  is 
evident  that  the  birds  do  not  find  them  so.  As  a  matter  of 
fact  they  are  sour,  bitter,  and  of  a  disagreeable  flavor,  and  go 
untouched  by  the  birds  so  long  as  any  other  fruit  is  within 
reach  ;  and  are  finally  eaten  under  protest. 

The  Mountain  Ash  which  is  usually  planted  in  lawns  and 
yards  is  the  European  species,  and  it  is  well  worthy  of  cul- 
tivation on  account  of  its  foliage,  its  blossoms  and  its 
berries. 

In  Europe  many  curious  superstitions  hang  about  the  Roan 
or  Rowan-tree,  as  the  Mountain  Ash  is  there  called,  and  a 
century  ago  it  was  considered  by  the  lower  classes  as  a  sov- 
ereign charm  against  witches.  The  more  uncivilized  and 
ignorant  a  people,  the  more  do  they  consider  themselves  in 
danger  from  witchcraft  and  evil  spirits.  Many  plants  such 
as  St.  John's -wort  and  clover  were  considered  specifics 
against  the  wiles  of  witches,  but  a  twig  of  the  Rowan-tree 
was  believed  to  surpass  them  all.  For  this  purpose  it  was 
made  into  walking-sticks  or  branches  of  it  were  hung  about 
the  house  and  stables.  The  explanation  of  this  is  that  the 
tree  was  in  some  way  connected  with  the  ancient  Druidical 
worship,  and  the  superstitions  of  to-day  are  but  the  far-off 
echoes  of  former  religious  beliefs. 

138 


MOUNTAIN   ASH 


Fruiliiii,^  Spray  of  liuiopeun  Muuntain  Ash,  Fynis  ancttpatia. 


ROSE    FAMILY 

A  stanza  of  an  ancient  song  runs  thus  : — 

Their  spells  were  vain  ;  the  hags  returned 
To  the  queen  in  sorrowful  mood, 
Crying  that  witches  have  no  power 
Where  there  is  roan-tree  wood. 

Pyrus  sambucifolia  is  a  tree  of  more  northern  range  than 
P.  americana.  In  general  appearance  it  is  not  unlike  it,  but 
both  blossoms  and  fruit  are  larger. 


COCKSPUR   THORN.     NEWCASTLE   THORN 

Ci'aiiVgns  crus-gdlli. 

Crahvgiis  is  of  Greek  derivation,  referring  to  the  strength  of  the 
wood  produced  by  the  different  species.  Cnis-galli  refers  to  the 
character  of  the  thorns.  The  name  of  Newcastle  Thorn  had  its 
origin  in  the  fact  that  this  thorn  was  once  largely  used  as  a 
hedge  plant  by  the  farmers  of  Newcastle  County,  Delaware. 

A  small  tree  with  stout,  rigid,  spreading  branches  and  abroad  flat 
or  round  head.  Branches  usually  armed  with  long  slender  spines. 
Roots  fibrous.  Loves  rich  soil  along  the  margins  of  swamps  or  near 
streams  ;  succeeds  as  a  hedge  plant. 

Bark.  —  'L\g\\\^  reddish  brown,  or  ashy  gray,  surface  separated  into 
scales.  Branchlets  at  first  green  but  soon  become  light  brown  or 
gray  tinged  with  brown.  In  their  second  year  they  become  armed 
with  spines  and  these  continue  to  enlarge  for  many  years,  often  be- 
coming many  branched  and  six  or  eight  inches  long. 

Wood. — Reddish  brown  ;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained  with  a  satiny 
surface.     Sp.  gr.,  0.7194  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  44.83  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Chestnut  brown,  obtuse,  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
long.  Inner  scales  grow  with  the  growing  shoot  and  often  become 
one-half  an  inch  long  and  bright  red  before  they  fall. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  obovate-cuneiform  to  broadly  oval  or 
linear-oblong,  one  to  three  inches  long,  tapering  from  the  middle 
to  the  petiole,  sharply  serrate  except  toward  the  base,  acute  or 
rounded  at  apex.  Feather-veined  ;  midrib  and  primary  veins  nar- 
row. They  come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate,  when  full  grown  are 
smooth,  thick,  dark  green  and  shining  above,  paler  beneath.  In 
autumn  they  turn  orange  and  scarlet.  Petioles  short,  broad.  Stipules 
vary  in  form  from  linear,  acute  to  obliquely  ovate,  early  deciduous. 

140 


COCKSPUR   THORN 


Cockspur  Thorn.  Cratinr/is  cnts-galli. 

Leaves   r    to  5'  long. 


ROSE   FAMILY 

Flowers. — May,  June;  when  leaves  are  full  grown.  Perfect,  white, 
two-thirds  of  an  inch  across.  Borne  in  many-flowered  thin-branched 
racemose  corymbs,  the  lower  branches  from  the  axils  of  leaves. 
Pedicels  slender,  one-half  to  one  inch  in  length.  Bracts  and  bract- 
lets  acute,  half  an  inch  long. 

Calyx. — Urn-shaped,  narrow,  five-lobed;  lobes  linear-lanceolate, 
serrate,  finally  reflexed,  persistent,  imbricate  in  bud. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  round,  white,  inserted  on  the  calyx  tube, 
imbricate  in  bud. 

Stamens. — Ten,  inserted  with  the  petals  ;  filaments  short ;  anthers 
introrse,  two-celled  ;  cells  opening  longitudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  of  two  or  three  carpels  inserted  in  the  bottom  of 
calyx  tube  and  united  with  it  ;  styles  two  ;  stigmas  capitate  ;  ovules 
two. 

Fruit, — Drupe-like  pome  with  bony  stones,  globular  or  pyriform, 
one-third  to  one -half  an  inch  long,  crowned  with  the  calyx  lobes, 
dull  red  ;  flesh  thin,  dry  ;  nutlets  one-fourth  of  an  inch  long,  rounded 
at  both  ends,  two  to  three-grooved  on  back.  September ;  remains 
on  the  tree  until  spring. 


When  it  was  made  certain  that  the  Hawthorn,  C.  oxyacantha^ 
which  makes  up  the  great  body  of  the  hedges  of  England, 
really  would  not  flourish  in  this  country,  the  attention  of 
farmers  and  gardeners  was  turned  toward  our  native  thorns 
to  see  if  any  of  them  \vere  available  as  hedge  plants.  The 
Cockspur  Thorn  is  the  only  one  that  has  at  all  proved  itself 
equal  to  the  requirements,  yet  since  the  introduction  of  the 
Osage  Orange  it  has  fallen  into  disuse.  But  cultivated  as  an 
ornamental  tree  it  is  particularly  attractive.  It  flowers 
late,  after  its  large  and  shining  leaves  are  fully  developed, 
grouping  in  this  respect  with  the  Horse-chestnut,  the  Lo- 
cust, and  the  Catalpa.  Then  its  fruit  hangs  red  upon  the 
tree  all  w-inter  long  ;  in  autumn  the  leaves  turn  a  bright 
orange  and  scarlet,  and  when  the  tree  stands  leafless  the 
spread  of  its  branches  is  very  beautiful. 

The  leaves  of  the  Cockspur  Thorn  are  likely  to  vary  con- 
siderably on  different  individuals  and  not  infrequently  on  the 
same  individual.  Six  varieties  are  reported  to  be  in  cul- 
tivation, each  distinguished  by  its  leaf. 


14: 


WHITE    THORN 


WHITE    THORN.     SCARLET   HAW.      SCARLET 
FRUITED  THORN 

Cra  tccgus  coccifi  ea . 

A  low  tree  fifteen  to  twenty  feet  high  with  short  stout  trunk, 
crooked  spreading  branches  forming  a  broad  flat  head  ;  common 
throughout  the  northern  states.  Roots  fibrous.  Found  either  in 
thickets  or  solitary,  in  upland  woods,  in  rocky  pastures  or  near  the 
borders  of  streams. 

Bark. — Light  brown,  or  ashy  gray,  slightly  fissured  surface  broken 
into  small  scales.  Branchlets  at  first  light  green,  lustrous,  later  red- 
dish or  light  brown  or  light  gray,  finally  become  armed  with  slender 
straight  or  slightly  curved,  brown,  shining,  persistent  spines  one  or 
two  inches  long. 

Wood. — Brown,  tinged  with  red  ;  heavy,  hard  and  close-grained. 
Sp.  gr.,  0.8618  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  53.71  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Globular,  tiny,  chestnut  brown.  Inner  scales  grow 
with  the  growing  shoot,  becoming  an  inch  long  before  they  fall. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  broad-ovate,  one  to  five  inches  long, 
wedge-shaped,  rounded  or  truncate  at  base,  acutely  cut  or  slightly 
five  to  nine-lobed,  sharply  and  finely  serrate,  acute.  Feather-veined, 
midrib  prominent,  primary  veins  strongest  toward  the  base.  They 
come  out  of  the  bud,  conduplicate,  green  ;  when  full  grown  they  are 
thin,  smooth,  shining,  bright  green  above,  paler  green  beneath. 
They  turn  bright  yellow  in  autumn.  Petioles  long,  slender,  grooved, 
smooth  or  hairy.  Stipules  are  leaf-like,  serrate,  acute,  early  decid- 
uous. 

Flowers. — May,  when  leaves  are  nearly  grown.  Perfect,  white, 
borne  in  few-flowered  corymbs,  on  slender  pedicels  ;  vary  in  size 
from  one-half  inch  to  one  inch  in  diameter  with  strong  and  disagree- 
able odor. 

Calyx. — Urn-shaped,  five-lobed  ;  lobes  much  shorter  than  the 
petals,  finally  reflexed,  imbricate  in  bud. 

Petals. — Five,  inserted  on  the  calyx  tul)c,  white,  obovate,  erose, 
imbricate  in  bud. 

Stamens. — Ten,  inserted  with  the  petals  ;  filaments  thread-like  ; 
anthers  purple,  introrse,  two-celled  ;   cells  opening  longitudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  of  two  to  five  carpels,  inserted  in  the  bottom  of  the 
calyx  tube  and  united  with  it  ;  styles  two  to  five  ;  stigmas  capitate  ; 
ovules  two. 

Fruit. — Drupe-like  pome  with  bony  stones,  borne  in  umbels  of  two 
or  three  ;  bright  scarlet,  crowned  with  the  calyx  lobes  ;  globular  or 
slightly  elongated,  one-third  to  one-half  an  inch  in  diameter.  Sep- 
tember or  October  ;   remains  all  winter,  some"  ^""it  edible. 

143 


ROSE    FAMILY 

Professor  Sargent  calls  this  a  "  bushy,  intricately  branched 
tree  "  and  any  one  who  has  ever  hunted  among  its  branches 
for  birds'  nests  will  fully  appreciate  the  felicitous  character- 
ization. This  is  the  thorn  of  old  pasture  fields,  and  the  race 
of  sparrows  have  ever  sought  safety  for  their  nests  among 
its  twisted,  rigid,  well-armed  twigs. 

The  spines  are  not  mature  except  on  third  year  wood. 
They  are  undeveloped  branches  and  appear  from  buds  grow- 
ing in  the  axils  of  former  leaves.  On  the  second  year  wood 
they  reach  three-eighths  of  an  inch  in  length  and  in  winter  are 
crowned  with  a  single  globular  bud,  this  continues  the  growth 
for  another  year.  Then  they  become  sharp  and  pointed  and 
further  growth  ceases  except  as  they  enlarge  with  the  branch. 

The  haws  of  all  the  thorns  are  alike  in  this,  that  they  sug- 
gest tiny  apples,  but  the  ratio  of  seed  to  flesh  is  out  of  all  rea- 
son, from  the  standpoint  of  the  consumer.  It  is  apparent 
that  even  the  birds  take  this  view  of  the  case,  for  the  scarlet 
haws  are  frequently  left  on  the  branches  all  winter  long  ; 
while  their  neighbors  the  black  cherries  are  eagerly  eaten 
and  the  sassafras  berries  are  scarcely  allowed  to  ripen.  They 
are  smooth,  of  a  beautiful  shining  red,  but  they  keep  the 
promise  to  the  eye  only  to  break  it  to  the  hope. 


SCARLET  HAW.     HAWTHORN 

CratiFgiis  mollis. 

A  small  tree,  with  straight  trunk,  spreading  and  contorted 
branches,  which  form  a  round,  compact  head.  Roots  fibrous. 
Grows  on  margins  of  swamps,  along  the  banks  of  streams,  on  prai- 
ries in  rich  soil. 

Bark. — Reddish  brown  to  ashy  gray.  The  surface  broken  into 
small  scales,  Branchlets  when  young  are  tomentous,  then  become 
orange  brown  and  lustrous,  finally  ashy  gray.  Stout,  zigzag,  armed 
with  stout,  chestnut  brown,  shining  spines  two  or  three  inches  long, 
these  at  length  become  ashy  gray. 

Wood. — Light  brown;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained.  Sp.  gr., 
0.7953  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  49.56  lbs. 

144 


WHITE    THORN 


Fruiting-  Branch  of  White  Thorn,   Cratcrgiis  coccinea. 

Leaves  iMo  3'  long.     Haws  y^'  to  yj  in  diameter. 


ROSE   FAMILY 

iVinter  Buds. — Obtuse,  chestnut  brown,  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
long.  Inner  scales  grow  with  the  growing  shoot,  becoming  nearly  an 
inch  long  before  they  fall. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  broadly  ovate,  almost  orbicular,  two 
to  four  inches  long,  one  and  one-half  inches  to  three  broad,  wedge- 
shaped,  truncate  or  rounded  at  base,  sharply  incised  with  many 
shallow  lobes,  finely  and  unevenly  serrate,  acute.  Feather-veined, 
midrib  and  primary  veins  prominent  beneath  and  depressed  above. 
They  come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate,  pale  green,  coated  with  to- 
mentum  or  hairy  ;  when  full  grown  are  then  smooth  or  rough,  light 
green  above,  paler  beneath.  Petioles  grooved,  stout,  hairy,  an  inch 
to  two  inches  in  length.  Stipules  leaf-like,  acute  or  linear,  early 
deciduous. 

Flowers. — May.  when  leaves  are  half  grown.  Perfect,  white,  an 
inch  to  an  inch  and  a  quarter  across  when  expanded,  borne  in  broad, 
stout,  branched,  hairy  corymbs. 

Calyx. — Urn-shaped,  tomentous  or  hairy,  five-lobed  ;  lobes  acute, 
serrate,  finally  reflexed  and  persistent,  imbricate  in  bud.  Calyx  and 
peduncles  glandular. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  white,  inserted  on  the  calyx,  rounded,  im- 
bricate in  bud. 

Stamens. — Ten,  inserted  with  the  petals  ;  filaments  thread-like  ; 
anthers  introrse,  two-celled  ;   cells  opening  longitudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovaries  inferior,  two  to  five,  inserted  in  the  bottom  of  the 
calyx  tube  and  united  with  it;  styles  two  to  five  ;  stigmas  capitate; 
ovules  two  in  each  cell. 

Fruit. — Drupe-like  pome  with  bony  stones,  globular  or  lengthened 
or  pyriform,  crowned  with  the  calyx  lobes,  bright  orange  scarlet  cov- 
ered with  glaucous  bloom,  one  inch  to  one  and  a  quarter  inches  in 
length.  Ripens  in  September,  falls  at  once.  Flesh  yellow,  juicy, 
slightly  acid  and  with  a  pleasant  flavor;  nutlets  lunate. 

This  is  the  handsomest  of  the  American  Hawthorns  and 
bears  the  only  haws  that  by  any  stretch  of  the  imagination 
could  be  considered  edible.  The  flesh  is  thin  for  an  apple, 
but  thick  for  a  haw  and  of  a  pleasant  flavor.  The  fruit  falls 
in  September  as  soon  as  it  ripens.  For  many  years  this  Haw 
was  confused  with  C.  cocciiiea,  but  there  are  marked  differ- 
ences between  them.  The  fruit  is  larger,  the  leaf  is  much 
larger,  broader,  more  nearly  orbicular,  nor  is  it  so  deeply  cut. 
This  species  is  admirably  adapted  as  an  ornament  to  the  lawn 
— its  branches  touch  the  ground — it  will  grow  in  a  close  py- 
ramidal head — is  very  free  from  insects'  attacks,  it  flowers 
and  fruits  orofusely — and  in  every  way  is  satisfactory. 

146 


SCARLET    HAW 


Fruitini;   lir,iiK-h  of  Sc;uiL't   ll.iw     (.'ulir-iis  niolln 

I.c;ivu3  z'  t-.  4'  1.-1.,^.      Il.iws    i'  I.,    P,/  ill   li-n,mh. 


ROSE    FAMILY 

All  our  thorns  are  attractive  in  habit,  foliage,  flower  and 
fruit  and  are  worthy  of  cultivation.  One  difficulty  in  obtain- 
ing them  lies  in  the  slow  germination  of  the  seed,  which  often 
requires  two  years. 


BLACK   THORN.     HAWTHORN 

Cratccgits  tomeniosa. 

Not  very  common  tree,  fifteen  or  twenty  feet  in  height,  with  slen- 
der contorted  branches  which  form  a  wide  flat  head,  often  a  shrub 
with  many  straggling  stems.  Roots  fibrous.  Branchlets  armed  with 
sharp  slender  spines  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  in  length. 

Bark. — Dark  brown  to  ashy  gray,  fissured  and  broken  into  small 
scales.  Branchlets  coated  at  first  with  thick  pale  tomentum,  later 
they  become  dark  orange  color,  finally  they  become  ashy  gray. 

Wood. — Bright  reddish  brown;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained.  Sp. 
gr.,  0.7585  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  47.57  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Small,  globular,  chestnut  brown.  Inner  scales 
grow  with  the  growing  shoot  becoming  nearly  an  inch  long  before 
they  fall. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  ovate  to  ovate-oblong,  two  to  five 
inches  long,  incisely  lobed  and  sharply  and  finely  serrate,  except  at 
the  base,  gradually  narrowing  at  the  base  and  running  into  winged 
petioles,  acute  or  rarely  rounded  at  the  apex.  Conspicuously  retic- 
ulate-veined, midrib  broad  and  primary  veins  prominent.  They 
come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate,  when  full  grown  are  thin  gray 
green,  smooth  above,  but  very  downy  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn 
orange  and  scarlet.  Petioles  winged,  grooved,  sometimes  glandular. 
Stipules  linear,  glandular,  serrate,  early  deciduous. 

Flowers. — May,  June,  later  than  the  White  Thorn.  Perfect,  white, 
half  an  inch  across,  very  ill  scented,  borne  in  broad,  leafy,  downy, 
slender-branched  cymes. 

Calyx. — Urn-shaped,  coated  with  pale  tomentum,  five-lobed  ; 
lobes  lanceolate,  serrate,  acute,  often  glandular,  finally  reflexed,  per- 
sistent, imbricate  in  bud. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  obovate,  erose,  inserted  in  the  calyx  tube, 
imbricate  in  bud. 

Stamens. — Fifteen  to  twenty,  inserted  with  the  petals  ;  filaments 
thread-like ;  anthers  introrse,  two-celled  ;  cells  opening  longitu- 
dinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  inferior,  two  to  five  carpels  inserted  at  the  bottom 
of  the  calyx  tube  and  united  with  it. 

148 


BLACK    THORN 


Sprays  of  Black  Thorn,  Ciatagiis  tomentosa. 

Leaves  2'  to  5'  long. 


ROSE    FAMILY 

Fruit. — Drupe-like  pome  with  bony  stones,  ovoid,  rarely  globular, 
dull  red,  one-half  inch  long,  crowned  with  calyx  lobes,  erect  ;  flesh 
thin  and  dry.  Ripens  in  September  and  October  and  remains  on 
branches  all  winter.  Nutlets  rounded,  obscurely  two-grooved  on  the 
back. 

This  Hawthorn  is  not  very  common  in  the  northern  states, 
is  found  most  abundantly  in  central  New  York.  It  prefers 
rich  alluvial  soil  and  is  found  on  the  margin  of  forests.  Its 
brilliant  autumn  foliage  and  its  red  winter  berries  recommend 
it  as  an  ornamental  plant.  It  comes  into  flower  somewhat 
later  than  the  others. 


DOTTED    HAW 

Cratipgus  pinictala. 

A  thick  wide  spreading  tree,  forming  a  broad,  round  or  flat-topped 
head.  Branches  slender,  rigid,  armed  with  straight,  sharp,  light 
brown  spines,  two  to  three  inches  long,  sometimes  unarmed. 
Roots  fibrous.  Ranges  from  Quebec  to  Ontario  and  southward  to 
middle  Tennessee,  and  along  the  mountains  to  Georgia  and  Ala- 
bama. Prefers  rich  moist  soil,  will  grow  in  upland  pastures  where 
it  forms  thickets. 

Bark. — Dark,  reddish  brown,  broken  into  long  scales.  Branch- 
lets  at  first  downy,  later  they  become  light  brown  ;  in  second  year 
are  ashy  gray,  silvery  white,  or  light  brown. 

Wood. — Bright  reddish  brown;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained.  Sp. 
gr.,  0.7681  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  47.87  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Pale  brown,  shining,  obtuse. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  wedge-obovate,  two  to  three  inches 
long,  base  wedge-shaped,  tapering  from  above  the  middle  of  the 
leaf  into  long  winged  petioles,  sharply  and  unevenly  serrate  above 
the  middle,  sometimes  incisely  cut,  often  entire  below,  apex  acute  or 
rounded.  Feather-veined,  midrib  and  primary  veins  depressed 
above,  prominent  beneath.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  condupli- 
c.a-te,  when  full  grown  are  thick  and  firm,  pale  gray  green,  smooth 
above,  paler  and  hairy  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  bright  orange 
or  orange  and  scarlet.  Petioles  grooved,  winged.  Stipules  lanceo- 
late, glandular,  serrated,  acute,  and  early  deciduous. 

Flowers.— yiSiV,  June,  after  the  leaves.  Perfect,  white,  one-half 
to  three-quarters  of  an  inch  across,  borne  in  broad,  thick-branched 
downy  or  tomentous  corymbs.     Pedicels  are  stout  and  hairy. 

150 


DOTTED   HAW 


Sprays  uf  Dutted  Haw,  Ci\itdgus  pitiictata. 

Leaves  2'  to  3'  long. 


ROSE    FAMILY 

Calyx. — Urn-shaped,  more  or  less  tomentose,  five-lobed  ;  lobes 
acute,  finally  reflexed,  persistent,  imbricate  in  bud. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  obovate,  erose,  inserted  on  the  calyx,  im- 
bricate in  bud. 

Stamens. — Fifteen  to  twenty,  inserted  with  the  petals  ;  filaments 
thread-like  ;  anthers  introrse,  two-celled  ;  cells  opening  longitudi- 
nally. 

Pistils. — Ovary  of  two  to  five  carpels  inserted  in  the  bottom  of  the 
calyx  tube,  united  with  it  ;   styles  two  to  five. 

Fruit. — Drupe-like  pome  with  bony  seeds,  globular  or  elongated, 
crowned  with  the  calyx  lobes,  dull  red,  sometimes  yellow,  marked 
by  many  small  white  spots,  three-fourths  to  one  inch  in  length  ; 
flesh  thin  and  dry  ;  nutlets  rounded  and  grooved  on  the  back. 
Ripens  in  September  and  falls  at  once.     Somewhat  edible. 

All  the  thorns  are  trees  of  the  pasture  lands.  The  com- 
mon story  of  them  all  is  that  they  love  the  moist,  rich,  alluvial 
soil,  but  failing  that  they  will  grow  in  upland  fields,  not  soli- 
tary only  but  in  thickets.  Even  the  best  of  them  in  its  best 
estate  and  in  that  most  favoring  region  on  this  continent, 
northern  Louisiana  and  Texas,  can  only  reach  the  height  of 
thirty  feet,  hence  they  are  doomed  in  the  forest  to  become  of 
the  second  grade  and  to  grow  in  the  shade.  In  the  forest 
they  are  outclassed  by  many  a  rapid  grower,  but  in  the 
pastures,  not  so.  The  seeds  of  ash,  maple,  and  willow  may 
lodge  in  the  pasture  land,  they  may  find  congenial  soil  and 
favoring  climate,  but  they  have  no  protection  against  the 
grazing  flocks  and  they  yield  in  the  contest.  But  the  thorns 
present  so  sharp  a  defence  that  in  time  they  triumph  over  the 
hard  conditions  and  not  only  live  but  flourish. 


152 


JUNE-BERRY 

JUNE-BERRY.  SHAD  BUSH.  SERVICE-BERRY. 

Ameldnc/iier  canadensis. 

Amclanchicr  is  derived  from  Amelancier,  the  popular  name  of  the 
European  species. 

A  medium  sized  tree  with  a  tall  slender  trunk  and  small  spreading 
branches  which  form  a  narrow,  oblong  head.  It  ranges  throughout 
eastern  United  States,  southward  to  Florida  and  westward  to  Min- 
nesota. Prefers  rich  soil  in  upland  woods.  On  the  mountains 
of  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee  it  reaches  its  greatest  size.  Roots 
fibrous. 

Bark. — Pale  red  brown,  divided  into  narrow  ridges  the  surface  of 
which  is  scaly.  Branchlets  bright  green,  later  become  dark  brown 
or  purplish  brown,  smooth. 

Wood. — Dark  brown,  sometimes  tinged  with  red  ;  heavy,  hard, 
close-grained  and  strong.  Sp.  gr.,  0.7838  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  48.85 
lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Chestnut  brown,  acute,  one  -  fourth  of  an  inch 
long.  Inner  scales  enlarge  with  the  growing  shoot  and  are  some- 
times an  inch  long  before  they  fall. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  ovate  to  ovate-oblong,  three  to  four 
inches  long,  one  and  a  half  to  two  inches  broad,  cordate  or  rounded 
at  base,  serrate,  acute  or  acuminate.  Feather  -  veined,  midrib 
grooved  above,  prominent  beneath.  They  come  out  of  the  bud 
conduplicate,  reddish  brown  and  hairy,  when  full  grown  are  smooth, 
deep  green  above,  paler  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  a  bright 
yellow.  Petioles  slender,  grooved.  Stipules  lanceolate,  downy, 
early  deciduous. 

Flowers. — April,  when  leaves  are  about  one-third  grown.  Per- 
fect, white,  borne  in  racemes  from  three  to  five  inches  long.  Each 
flower  has  a  slender  pedicel,  furnished  with  two  lanceolate,  purplish 
silky  bractlets  which  fall  as  the  flower  opens. 

Calyx. — Campanulate,  five  -  lobed  ;  lobes  lanceolate,  acute, 
downy,  persistent,  imbricate  in  bud. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  white,  strap-shaped,  one-half  inch  to  an 
inch  in  length,  inserted  on  the  calyx  tube,  imlDricate  in  bud. 

Stamens . — Twenty,  inserted  on  the  calyx  tube  ;  filaments  per- 
sistent in  fruit ;  anthers  introrse,  two-celled ;  cells  opening  longi- 
tudinally. 

Pistil.— Ovary  two  to  five-celled,  united  to  calyx  tube.  Styles 
two  to  five,  with  broad  stigmas  ;  ovules  two  in  each  cell.  When 
mature  each  cell  has  been  divided  by  a  cartilaginous  partition,  giv- 
ing ten  cells  and  one  seed  in  each. 

153 


ROSE    FAMILY 

Fruit. — Berry -like  pome,  depressed  -  globular  or  pyriform, 
open  at  the  summit,  crowned  with  the  calyx  lobes  and  remnants  of 
the  filaments.  One-third  to  one-half  of  an  inch  long,  rich  purple 
with  slight  bloom.  Ripens  in  June,  is  sweet,  with  delicious  flavor. 
Seeds  dark  brown  :  cot\  ledons  thick. 


At  the  time  when  the  hazy,  misty  cloud  of  bursting  buds 
rests  over  the  wooded  hillside,  a  single  tree  suddenly  de- 
taches itself  from  the  cloudy  mist  and  stands  forth  clothed 
in  soft,  feathery,  indeterminate  white.  This  is  the  June- 
berry,  otherwise  known  as  the  Shad  Bush.  This  homely 
name  of  Shad  Bush  was  given  it  by  the  early  inhabitants  of 
the  eastern  states  because  it  chances  to  bloom  by  the  side 
of  our  tidal  rivers  at  the  time  that  the  shad  ascends  them  to 
spawn. 

We  know  that  nature's  methods  are  gradual,  that  species 
are  not  cut  apart  by  sharp  divisions,  but  it  is  not  often  that 
we  are  permitted  to  trace  the  process  of  species-making,  step 
by  step.  The  June-berries  permit  us  to  do  this.  There  are 
in  America  two  well-defined  species,  the  Atlantic,  A.  cana- 
densis and  the  Pacific,  A.  alnifolia ;  they  differ  in  form  of 
flower,  shape  of  leaf,  and  size  of  fruit.  Yet  they  are  one, 
though  two. 

On  one  side  of  the  continent  the  mist-laden  atmosphere  of 
the  low  lands  and  the  cold  winds  from  the  Atlantic  have  de- 
veloped A.  canadensis.  On  the  other  side  the  subtle  influ- 
ence of  a  clearer  atmosphere,  together  with  a  higher  altitude 
and  warmer  winds  has  produced  A.  alnifolia. 

On  the  Rocky  Mountains  where  the  two  forms  meet  they 
insensibly  melt  into  each  other  and  it  is  not  possible  to  say 
where  one  species  ends  and  the  other  begins,  nor  of  many  in- 
dividuals to  which  household  they  belong.  Both  can  be 
referred  to  an  earlier  arctic  form  which,  driven  southward 
by  the  glaciers,  returned  to  such  different  environments,  that 
two  species  developed  and  the  intermediate  forms  persist. 

Our  June-berry  is  little  known  save  in  its  native  haunts. 
Its  leaves  somewhat  resemble  those  of  the  pcai',  but  are  finer 
and  more  delicate,  covered  with  a  soft,  silken   down  as  they 

JC4 


JUNE-BERRY 


June-berry,  Aiiielaiicbier  caiiadt'iisi's. 

Leaves  f  to  4'  long,   1^2'  to  2'  broad. 


ROSE    FAMILY 

come  from  the  bud  but  becoming  smooth  at  maturity.  The 
flowers  are  in  loose  racemes  at  the  ends  of  the  branches. 

The  fruit  is  delicious  and  ripens  in  June.  The  only  objec- 
tion to  the  berries  is  that  they  are  so  few,  the  largest  trees 
rarely  produce  more  than  a  quart,  and  the  birds,  knowing  a 
good  thing  when  they  see  it,  get  most  of  them.  It  is  recorded 
that  the  Indians  esteemed  them  highly. 

The  flora  of  Japan,  which  in  so  many  respects  resembles 
that  of  America,  possesses  a  very  superior  June-berry  which 
has  been  introduced  into  this  country  and  if  acclimated  will 
be  a  grateful  addition  to  our  list  of  fruit  trees. 


rgo 


HAMAMELIDACE^— WITCH   HAZEL 
FAMILY 

WITCH   HAZEL 

Hamamelis  virginihna. 

Hivnamelis  is  a  name  anciently  applied  to  a  tree  which  blos- 
somed at  the  same  time  as  the  apple  tree.  Witch  is  a  modern 
spelling  of  the  Saxon  loich  or  wych.  The  meaning  of  the  word 
in  this  connection  is  doubtful  ;  Loudon  refers  it  to  salt  springs, 
moist  places  ;  other  authorities  think  it  means  pendulous,  droop- 
ing.  Two  trees  are  so  named — the  wych  elm  and  the  wych  hazel. 

A  shrub  of  numerous  diverging  stems  ten  to  fifteen  feet  high,  be- 
coming a  small  tree  only  on  the  mountains  of  North  and  South 
Carolina  and  Tennessee.  Found  in  deep  ravines,  north  shaded  hill- 
sides and  at  the  edge  of  woodlands.     Roots  fibrous. 

Bark  — Light  brown,  smooth,  scaly,  inner  bark  reddish  purple. 
Branchlets  at  first  scurfy  ;  later  smooth,  light  orange  brown,  marked 
with  occasional  small  white  dots,  finally  dark  or  reddish  brown. 

Wood. — Light  reddish  brown,  sap  wood  nearly  white  ;  heavy, 
hard,  close-grained.     Sp.  gr.,  0.6856  ;   weight  of  cu.  ft.,  42.72  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Acute,  slightly  falcate,  downy,  light  brown. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  obovate  or  oval,  four  to  six  inches 
long,  unequal  at  base,  wavy-toothed,  acute  or  rounded  at  apex. 
Feather-veined;  midrib  stout  with  six  to  seven  pairs  of  primary 
veins.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  involute,  covered  with  stellate 
rusty  down  ;  when  full  grown  are  dark  green  above,  paler  beneath  ; 
midrib  and  veins  more  or  less  hairy.  In  autumn  they  turn  yellow 
with  rusty  spots.  Petioles  stout,  half  an  inch  to  an  inch  long. 
Stipules  lanceolate,  acute,  infolding  the  buds. 

Flowers. — October,  November.  Usually  perfect,  yellow,  borne 
in  three-flowered  clusters  on  axillary,  simple  or  rarely  branched 
peduncles  bearing  two  deciduous  bractlets,  each  flower  surrounded 

IS7 


WITCH   HAZEL   FAMILY 

by  two  or  three  ovate  bracts,  slightly  united  at  base  to  form  an  in- 
volucre. Bracts  and  bractlets  coated  with  rusty  hairs.  The  clus- 
ters of  flower  buds  appear  in  August,  developed  from  the  axils  of 
the  leaves  of  the  year. 

Calyx, — Deeply  four-parted,  very  downy,  orange  brown  within, 
imbricate  in  bud,  persistent,  cohering  with  the  base  of  the  ovary. 
Two  or  three  bractlets  appear  at  base. 

Corolla.— VqX.?\%  four,  inserted  on  the  receptacle,  yellow,  strap- 
shaped,  narrow,  one-half  to  two-thirds  of  an  inch  long,  alternate 
with  the  calyx  lobes,  involute  in  bud. 

Stamens. — Eight,  inserted  in  the  receptacle,  very  short,  the  four 
which  are  alternate  with  the  petals,  anther-bearing,  the  others  im- 
perfect and  scale-like.  Filaments  short,  connective  thickened  and 
prolonged  ;  anthers,  introrse,  two-celled  ;  cells  opening  at  the  side 
from  within  by  persistent  valves. 

Pistil. — Ovary  of  two  carpels,  free  at  their  apex,  inserted  at  the 
bottom  of  the  cup-like  receptacle,  partly  superior  ;  styles  two,  awl- 
shaped,  spreading,  persistent,  stigmatic  at  apex  ;  ovules  one  or  two 
in  each  cell. 

Fruit. — A  yellow  brown,  two-celled,  woody  pod,  each  cell  con- 
taining one  black  shining  seed.  Each  cell  bursts  open  when  ripe 
and  projects  the  little  nut  from  five  to  fifteen  feet.  Ripens  in  Oc- 
tober when  the  flowers  are  expanding. 

Through  the  gray  and  sombre  wood 

Again  t  the  dusk  of  fir  and  pine 
Last  of  their  floral  sisterhood 

The  hazel's  yellow  blossoms  shine. 

— John  G.  Whittier. 

This  shrubby  little  tree  is  one  of  the  most  curious  and  in- 
teresting plants  in  our  northern  flora.  When  all  other  trees 
are  making  ready  for  winter,  when  its  own  leaves  are  yellow 
and  falling,  it  bursts  forth  into  abundant  bloom.  The  clus- 
ters of  tiny  yellow  flowers  crowd  upon  a  branch  already  laden 
with  the  ripe  nutlets  of  last  year's  blossoms,  and  wave  in 
beauty  throughout  the  entire  month  of  November.  This 
peculiarity,  together  with  the  suggestive  name  "witch,"  is 
doubtless  an  explanation  of  the  fact  that  those  persons  who 
profess  to  be  able  to  indicate  the  position  of  hidden  springs 
of  water  prefer,  as  divining  rods,  the  forked  twigs  of  AVitch 
Hazel. 

Although  the  flowers  appear  in  October  no  growth  takes 
place  in  the  ovary  until  the  following  spring,  tlie  calyx  lobes 

158 


WITCH    HAZEL 


Witch   Hazel,  Hamanielis  virgiiiuiia. 
Leaves  4'  to  6'  long. 


WITCH   HAZEL   FAMILY 

simply  surround  and  protect  it.  Tlie  petals  are  spirally  in- 
volute in  aestivation,  that  is,  each  one  is  rolled  in  upon  itself 
and  when  fully  expanded  they  still  look  crumpled  and  wavy. 

An  interesting  peculiarity  of  the  fruit  is  the  way  the  tiny 
nuts  are  discharged  from  their  woody  pod.  As  the  pod 
bursts  the  contraction  of  its  edges  presses  upon  the  enclosed 
seeds  and  causes  them  to  fly  to  a  distance  of  several  feet. 
Bring  home  in  November  a  fruiting  spray  and  place  it  upon 
the  table  ;  no  sooner  has  the  warmth  of  the  room  dried  the 
tiny  capsules  than  the  miniature  bombardment  will  begin 
and  will  continue  until  every  seed  is  forced  out  of  its  cover- 
ing. 

The  bark  and  leaves  of  the  Witch  Hazel  are  reputed  to 
possess  medicinal  properties  on  account  of  the  tradition  that 
they  were  used  by  the  Indians  in  the  treatment  of  external 
inflammations.  "  Pond's  Extract  "  is  a  distillation  of  the  bark 
in  dilute  alcohol.  This  remedy  has  great  popularity,  but 
chemists  so  far  have  failed  to  distinguish  any  active  medicinal 
properties  in  the  plant. 


SWEET   GUM.     LIQUIDAMBAR 

Liqjtiddinbar  styracijfita. 

The  name  is  derived  from  liquidiis  and  the  Arabic  word  amhar, 
referring  to  the  balsamic  juices  of  the  tree.  StyraciJJua  from  the 
name  of  an  ancient  balsam. 

A  tree  sixty  to  one  hundred  and  forty  feet  in  height,  with  erect 
trunk  two  to  five  feet  in  diameter,  slender  branches  and  handsome 
conical  head.  Ranges  from  Connecticut  to  Florida  on  the  coast  and 
westward  through  Arkansas  and  Indian  Territory.  It  appears  on 
the  mountain  ranges  in  Mexico  and  Central  America.  Loves  low, 
moist,  bottom  lands,  but  will  grow  in  dry  elevated  regions.  Roots 
fibrous  ;  juices  balsamic. 

Bark. — Light  brown  tinged  with  red,  deeply  fissured,  ridges  scaly. 
Branchlets  pithy,  many-angled,  winged,  at  first  covered  with  rusty 
hairs,  finally  becoming  red  brown,  gray  or  dark  brown. 

i6o 


WITCH    HAZEL 


Flowers  and  Fruit  of  Witch  Hazel. 


WITCH   HAZEL   FAMILY 


Wood. — Bright  reddish  brown,  sapwood  nearly  white  ;  heavy, 
straight,  satiny,  close-grained,  not  strong  ;  will  take  a  beautiful  pol- 
ish ;  warps  badly  in  drying.  Has  been  used  with  good  results  in 
the  interior  finish  of  sleeping-cars  and  fine  houses.  The  wood  is 
usually  cut  in  veneers  and  backed  up  with  some  other  variety  which 
shrinks  and  warps  less.  Sp.  gr.,  0.5910  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  36.83 
lbs. 

Winter  Bjids. — Yellow  brown,  one-fourth  of  an  inch  long,  acute. 
The  inner  scales  enlarge  with  the  growing  shoot,  becoming  half  an 
inch  long,  green  tipped  with  red. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  three  to  five  inches  long,  three  to  seven  inches 
broad,  lobed,  so  as  to  make  a  star-shaped  leaf  of  five  to  seven  divis- 
ions, these  divisions  acutely  pointed,  with  glandular  serrate  teeth. 
The  base  is  truncate  or  slightly  heart-shaped.  They  come  out  of 
the  bud  plicate,  downy,  pale  green,  when  full  grown  are  bright 
green,  smooth,  shining  above,  paler  beneath.  In  autumn  they  vary 
in  color  from  yellow  through  crimson  to  purple.  They  contain  tan- 
nin and  when  bruised  give  a  resinous  fragrance.  Petioles  long, 
slender,  terete.      Stipules  lanceolate,  acute,  caducous. 

Flowers. — March  to  May,  when  leaves  are  half  grown  ;  monoeci- 
ous, greenish.  Staminate  flowers  in  terminal  racemes  two  to  three 
inches  long,  covered  with  rusty  hairs  ;  the  pistillate  in  a  solitary 
head  on  a  slender  peduncle  borne  in  the  axil  of  an  upper  leaf.  Stam- 
inate flowers  destitute  of  calyx  and  corolla,  but  surrounded  by  hairy 
bracts.  Stamens  indefinite  ;  filaments  short  ;  anthers  introrse. 
Pistillate  flowers  with  a  two-celled,  two- 
beaked  ovary,  the  carpels  produced  into  a 
long,  recurved,  persistent  style.  The  ova- 
ries all  more  or  less  cohere  and  harden  in 
fruit.     Ovules  many  but  few  mature. 

Fruit. — Multicapsular  spherical  head,  an 
inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter, 
hangs  on  the  branches  during  the  winter. 
The  woody  capsules  mostly  filled  with  abor- 
tive seeds  resembling  sawdust. 

The  starry  five-pointed  leaves  of  the 
Liquidambar  suggest  the  Sugar  Maple, 
and  its  fruit  balls  as  they  hang  upon 
their  long  stems  resemble  those  of  the 


Buttonwood.    The  distinguishing  mark 


Section  of  a  Twig  of  Sweet 
Gum  Showing  the  Corky 
Wings  of  the  Bark. 


of  the  tree,  however,  is  the  peculiar 
appearance  of  its  small  branches  and 
twigs.  The  bark  attaches  itself  to 
these  in  plates  edgewise  instead  of  laterally,  and  a  piece  of 
the  leafless  branch  with  the  aid  of  a  little  imagination  readily 

162 


SWEET   GUM 


Sweet  Gum,  Liquidambar  stj'rjajlna. 

Leaves  3'  to  5'  long,  }'  to  7'  broad. 


WITCH    HAZEL    FAMILY 


I 


takes   on   a   reptilian   form  ;  indeed,   the   tree   is   sometimes 
called  Alligator-wood. 

The  autumnal  coloring  is  not  simply  a  flame,  it  is  a  confla- 
gration ;  in  reds  and  yellows  it  equals  the  maples,  and  in  ad- 
dition it  has  the  dark  purples 
and  smoky  browns  of  the  ash. 
Liquidambar  finds  its  most 
congenial  home  east  of  the 
Alleghanies  and  in  the  basin 
of  the  lower  Mississippi.  It  is 
one  of  three  who  are  the  sur- 
vivors of  an  ancient  and  wide- 
ly distributed  family.  Its  im- 
mediate ancestor  inhabited  in 
tertiary  times  Alaska,  Green- 
land and  the  mid-continental 
plateau  of  North  America,  a 
similar  form  is  also  found  in 
the  miocene  of  Europe.  The 
other  living  representatives  of 
the  genus  are  L.  orieiiialis, 
found  in  Asia  Minor,  and  L, 
Formosana,  found  in  China  and 
the  Island  of  Formosa.  The 
storax  of  commerce  is  a  gum 
obtained  from  the  inner  bark  of  the  two  eastern  species  ; 
our  northern  tree  produces  very  little,  and  that  only  in  its 
most  southern  habitat. 


Fruit  of  Sweet  Gum. 


164 


ARALIACE/E— GINSENG   FAMILY 

HERCULES'   CLUB.     ANGELICA-TREE 

Aralia  spiiiosa. 

An  aromatic  spiny  tree  with  stout  wide  spreading  branches, 
twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  height,  trunk  six  to  eight  inches  in  diameter; 
oftener  a  cluster  of  branchless  thorny  stems  ten  to  twenty  feet  high. 
Roots  thick  and  fleshy.  Prefers  a  deep  moist  soil  ;  ranges  from 
Pennsylvania  westward  to  Missouri  and  southward  to  Texas.  Bark 
of  the  root  and  the  berries  are  used  in  medicine,  principally  in  do- 
mestic practice. 

^<^^r/^.— Light  brown,  divided  into  rounded  broken  ridges.  Branch- 
lets  one-half  to  two-thirds  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  armed  with  stout, 
straight  or  curved,  scattered  prickles  and  nearly  encircled  by  narrow 
leaf  scars.  At  first  light  yellow  brown,  shining  and  dotted,  later 
light  brown. 

Wood. — Brown  with  yellow  streaks  ;  light,  soft,  brittle,  close- 
grained. 

Winter  Buds. — Terminal  bud  chestnut  brown,  one-half  to  three- 
fourths  of  an  inch  long,  conical,  blunt  ;  axillary  buds  flattened,  tri- 
angular, one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  length. 

Leaves. — Clustered  at  the  end  of  the  branches,  compound,  bi-  and 
tri-pinnate,  three  to  four  feet  long,  two  and  a  half  feet  broad.  The 
pinnae  are  unequally  pinnate,  having  five  or  six  pairs  of  leaflets 
and  a  long  stalked  terminal  leaflet ;  these  leaflets  are  often  them- 
selves pinnate.  The  last  leaflets  are  ovate,  two  to  three  inches 
long,  wedge-shaped  or  rounded  at  base,  serrate  or  dentate,  acute  ; 
midrib  and  primary  veins  prominent.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  a 
bronze  green,  shining,  somewhat  hairy  ;  when  full  grown  are  dark 
green  above,  pale  beneath  ;  midribs  frequently  furnished  with 
prickles.  In  autumn  they  turn  a  beautiful  bronze  red  touched  with 
yellow.  Petioles  stout,  light  brown,  eighteen  to  twenty  inches  in 
length,  clasping,  armed  with  prickles.  Stipules  acute,  one-half  inch 
long. 

165 


GINSENG   FAMILY 

Flowers. — July,  August.  Perfect  or  polygamo-monoecious,  cream 
white,  borne  in  many-tiowered  umbels  arranged  in  compound  pani- 
cles, forming  a  terminal  racemose  cluster,  three  to  four  feet  in  length 
which  rises,  solitary  or  two  or  three  together,  above  the  spreading 
leaves.     Bracts  and  bractlets  lanceolate,  acute,  persistent. 

Calyx.  —  Calyx  tube  coherent  with  the  ovary,  minutely  five- 
toothed. 

Corolla. — Petals  five,  white,  inserted  on  margin  of  the  disk,  acute, 
slightly  inflexed  at  the  apex,  imbricate  in  bud. 

Stamens. — Five,  inserted  on  margin  of  the  disk,  alternate  with  the 
petals ;  filaments  thread-like  ;  anthers  oblong,  attached  on  the 
back,  introrse,  two-celled  ;  cells  opening  longitudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  inferior,  five-celled  ;  styles  five,  connivent  ;  stig- 
mas capitate. 

Fruit. — Berry-like  drupe,  globular,  black,  one-fourth  of  an  inch 
long,  five-angled,  crowned  with  the  blackened  styles.  Flesh  thin, 
dark. 

The  habit  of  growth  and  general  appearance  of  the  Her- 
cules' Club  are  unique.  It  is  usually  found  as  a  group  of 
unbranched  stems,  rising  to  the  height  of  twelve  to  twenty 
feet,  which  bear  upon  their  summits  a  crowded  cluster  of 
doubly  compound  leaves,  thus  giving  to  each  stem  a  certain 
tropical  palm-like  appearance.  This  slender,  swaying,  palm- 
like character  is  in  the  north  only  true  of  the  young  plants, 
for  after  a  single  stem  has  buffeted  the  storms  of  many  win- 
ters it  becomes  a  scrubby,  deformed,  little  tree  whose  great 
leaves  can  scarcely  cover  its  ugliness  even  in  summer.  In 
the  south  it  is  said  to  reach  the  height  of  fifty  feet,  still  re- 
taining its  palm-like  aspect. 

The  young  stem  is  stout,  thickly  covered  with  sharp  spines 
and  for  the  most  part  branchless  or  slightly  branching,  so  that 
when  denuded  of  its  leaves  it  looks  very  like  a  club,  wdience 
its  common  name  Hercules'  Club.  The  leaves  are  the  largest 
produced  by  any  tree  of  our  flora,  although  the  casual  observer 
might  not  think  so,  as  the  leaflets  are  but  two  to  three  inches 
long.  The  leaves,  however,  are  so  compound,  in  this  case 
doubly  pinnate  and  sometimes  pinnate  again,  that  when  one 
measures  from  the  swollen  base  of  the  prickly  petiole  to  the 
apex  of  the  farthest  leaflet  the  tape  frequently  records  three 
feet  and  the  spread  of  the  pinnae  from  side  to  side   is   often 

1 66 


HERCULES  CLUB 


Hercules'  Club,  .-Italia  spiiiosa. 

Leaves  3*»  to  4°  long.     Leaflets  2'  to  5'  long. 


GINSENG   FAMILY 


two  feet.  In  the  autumn  these  leaves  turn  to  a  peculiar 
bronze  red  touched  with  yellow  which  makes  the  tree  con- 
spicuous and  beautiful. 

The  flowers  are  creamy  white  and  ap- 
pear in  great,  loose,  flower  clusters  at  the 
very  summit  of  the  stem.  You  have 
watched  the  tree  all  summer,  June  has 
come  and  gone,  July  is  well  under  way, 
all  other  flowering  trees  are  even  now 
maturing  their  fruit,  when,  suddenly,  the 
Hercules'  Club  shows  signs  of  bloom  and 
sometimes  in  July,  often  in  August  and 
even  in  September,  the  belated  flowers 
come  forth.  The  blooming  spray,  like  the 
leaf,  is  enormous,  sometimes  rising  three 
or  four  feet  above  the  spreading  leaves. 
Many  of  the  flowers  are  sterile,  so  there  is 
no  such  generous  production  of  fruit  as 
might  be  expected,  but  there  is  consider- 
able. The  little  black  drupes  ripen  quickly  and  hang  in 
clusters  upon  the  tree  all  winter  long,  for  their  flesh  is  so 
thin  that  they  do  not  commend  themselves  to  the  birds. 


Hercules'  Club,  Aralia  spi 
noscx.     Drupes  ^'  long. 


|68 


CORNACE^— DOGWOOD   FAMILY 

FLOWERING    DOGWOOD 

C 6 runs  Jidrida. 
Cornus  from  coniu  a  horn,  refers  to  the  hardness  of  the  wood. 

A  bushy  tree,  from  fifteen  to  thirty  feet  high,  with  short  trunk  and 
spreading  branches,  making  a  flat-topped  head.  Roots  fibrous.  It 
prefers  dry  land  and  will  grow  under  the  shade  of  taller  trees.  Bark, 
leaves,  and  fruit,  rich  in  tannic  acid.  Ranges  from  eastern  Massa- 
chusetts to  central  Florida  west  through  southern  Michigan  to  Mis- 
souri and  Texas. 

^^;'^._Reddish  brown,  divided  into  quadrangular  plate- like 
scales.  Bitter  and  tonic.  Branchlets  at  first  pale  green,  later  they 
are  red  or  yellow  green,  finally  become  light  brown  or  reddish  gray. 

Winter  Buds. — Formed  in  midsummer,  terminal  bud  accompanied 
by  two  pairs  of  lateral  buds  making  a  cluster.  On  fertile  shoots  the 
terminal  bud  is  replaced  by  the  head  of  flower  buds,  which  by  mid- 
summer protrudes  from  between  the  two  upper  lateral  buds. 

lVood.—V>xo\^n  ;  heavy,  hard,  strong,  tough  and  close-grained  ; 
will  take  a  beautiful  polish.  Used  for  hubs  of  small  wheels,  handles 
of  tools,  mallets  ;  largely  used  in  turnery.  Sp.  gr.,  0.8153  ;  weight 
of  cu.  ft.,  50.81  lbs. 

Z^^z/^j.— Opposite,  somewhat  clustered  at  the  ends  of  the  branches, 
ovate  or  elliptical,  three  to  five  inches  long,  two  to  three  wide,  wedge- 
shaped  at  base,  wavy  or  entire,  acute.  Feather-veined,  midrib  promi- 
nent, five  to  six  pairs  of  primary  veins.  They  come  out  of  the  bud 
involute,  at  first  pale  green,  downy  ;  when  full  grown  are  bright  dark 
green  above,  pale  and  downy  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  a  brill- 
iant scarlet.     Petioles  short,  grooved. 

Flowers.— K-^xWy  May.  Perfect,  greenish,  in  a  close  cluster,  sur- 
rounded by  a  large,  showy,  four-leaved,  corolla-like,  white  or  rarely 
pinkish  involucre,  borne  on  a  stout  peduncle  an  inch  or  an  inch  and 
a  half  long,  showy. 

169 


DOGWOOD   FAMILY 

Calyx. — Slightly  urn-shaped,  four-lobed,  light  green,  coherent  with 
the  ovary. 

Corolla. — Petals  four,  valvate  in  bud,  inserted  on  an  epigynous 
disk,  rounded  or  acute  at  apex,  slightly  thickened  at  the  margins, 
green,  tipped  with  yellow.     Disk  orange  colored. 

Stamens. — Four,  inserted  on  the  disk,  exserted,  alternate  with  the 
petals.  Filaments  thread-like  ;  anthers  oblong,  introrse,  versatile, 
two-celled  ;  cells  opening  longitudinally. 

Ovary. — Inferior,  two-celled  ;  style  columnar  ;  stigma  truncate  ; 
ovule  one  in  each  cell. 

Fruit. — Ovoid  drupe,  borne  in  clusters  of  three  or  four,  crowned 
with  the  calyx  lobes  and  remnant  of  the  style,  bright  scarlet,  half  an 
inch  long,  smooth,  shining,  bitter,  aromatic.  October.  Cotyledons 
foliaceous. 

No  other  tree  of  our  flora  enables  the  observer  so  easily 
to  study  the  life  history  of  its  flowers  and  fruit  as  does  the 
Dogwood.  A  shrub  oftener  than  a  tree,  its  branches  are 
within  easy  reach  and  it  conducts  its  operations  so  openly 
that  they  invite  attention.  When  in  early  spring,  the  great 
white  blossoms  appearing  before  the  leaves  transform  the 
tree  into  one  huge  bouquet,  it  is  the  glory  of  the  fields  and 
challenges  the  attention  and  admiration  of  every  observer. 
In  summer,  its  low  branching  habit  and  dense  foliage  give  it 
a  peculiar  and  attractive  appearance  ;  the  clusters  of  shining 
red  berries  together  with  the  dark  red  leaves  mark  it  in  the 
autumnal  woods,  and  in  the  winter,  the  curious,  gray,  box-like, 
flower-buds  which  tip  its  branches  are  unique  and  striking. 

In  order  to  understand  the  development  of  those  great  white 
spring  blossoms,  it  is  necessary  to  study  the  tree  in  midsum- 
mer of  the  preceding  year.  By  July  a  little  group  of  three 
tiny  buds  has  begun  to  form  at  the  end  of  the  many  branch- 
lets  of  a  healthy,  vigorous  tree.  If  the  terminal  bud  is  to 
produce  flowers  it  soon  outstrips  its  companions  and  pro- 
trudes beyond  them.  This  growth  continues  through  the 
late  summer  and  on  into  autumn.  By  the  time  that  the  clus- 
tered drupes  are  ripe  and  the  leaves  begin  to  turn  scarlet, 
these  terminal  flower-buds  of  the  next  year  are  about  the 
size  of  small  peas,  inclosed  by  four  involucral  scales,  pointed 
above,  rounded  below,  light  brownish  gray  in  color,  more  or 

170 


FLOWERING    DOGWOOD 


A  Branch   of   Flowering  Dogwood,  Conms  florida.  Bearing  Fruit  and  Next 
Year's  Flower  Buds. 

Leaves  3'  to  5'  long,  2'  to  3'  broad. 


DOGWOOD   FAMILY 

less  covered  with  pale  hairs  and  borne  on  stout  club-shaped 
peduncles  a  quarter  of  an  inch  or  less  in  length.  These  buds 
stand  up  from  the  tips  of  the  branchlets  and  are  very  con- 
spicuous. After  the  leaves  fall,  and  the  red  berries  have 
been  taken  by  the  birds  these  gray  buds  remain  unchanged, 
stiff  and  unyielding  throughout  the  winter. 

One  of  the  first  indications  of  returning  activity  to  plant 
life  is  the  gaping  of  these  involucral  scales  at  the  apex  of  the 
flower-bud.  This  happens  about  the  time  that  the  ehii-buds 
are  beginning  to  swell  and  open,  but  the  elm-flowers  have 
come  and  gone  and  the  samaras  are  well  grown  before  our 
dogwood  blossom  is  worthy  of  the  name.  But  day  after  day 
the  change  goes  on.  The  involucral  scales  begin  to  enlarge, 
unfold,  grow  white  and  at  length  about  six  weeks  after  the 
first  opening  of  the  apex  they  become  a  flat  corolla-like  cup, 
three  or  four  inches  across.  Each  scale  is  now  a  great  white 
petal-like  leaf,  so  like  a  petal  that  many  consider  it  such  ;  its 
rounded  apex  blotched  and  darkened  by  the  discolored  rem- 
nants of  the  portion  formed  during  the  summer  before.  In 
color  these  are  usually  white,  sometimes,  however,  they  are 
pink  and  rarely  bright  red. 

Within  these  four,  white,  petaloid  scales  is  a  close  cluster 
of  tiny  flowers  which  are  the  real  blossoms  of  the  tree.    They 
are  yellowish  green,  made  on  a  plan  of  four,  four 
lobes  to  the  calyx,  four  petals  to  the  corolla,  and 
four  stamens  ;  there  is,  however,  but  one  pistil. 

After  our  great  white  involucre  has  performed 
its  duty,  fostered  and  protected  the  tiny  flowers 
until   they   have   reached    maturity,    it   falls,   the 

Single  Flower  '        ,  ,       ,  .  .       .      , 

of  Dogwood,    blossoms  fade  and  the  tiny  fruit  begins  to  grow. 

Cornus  flori-  Althouoh  thcrc  are  from  ten  to  thirty  blossoms 
"'  ^"""^^^  ■  in  each  cluster  rarely  more  than  five  drupes  are 
matured  in  any  one.  Some  remain  in  a  state  of  arrested 
development,  and  cling  to  the  branch  small  and  green  all 
summer  long.  The  bright,  shining,  scarlet  fruit  is  beautiful 
to  look  at  and  is  finally  eaten  by  the  birds,  but  they  exhaust 
other  resources  first,  for  under  that  shining  skin  is  a  very 

1/2 


FLOWERING   DOGWOOD 


Flowering  Spray  of  Flowering  Dogwood. 

InvolLjrc  3'  to  4'  across. 


DOGWOOD   FAMILY 


bitter  and  aromatic   flesh   which   no   normal   appetite  could 
crave. 

The  generic  name  of  this  group  of  trees  is  easily  explained, 
for  Corniis  is  derived  from  cornu^  a  horn,  and  finds  its  justi- 
fication in  the  well  known  hardness  of  the  wood.  Dogwood, 
however,  has  a  different  origin.  Usually,  the  name  of  an 
animal  attached  to  a  plant  means  that  the  plant  in  question 
was  believed  by  the  early  simplers,  who  as  a  rule  gave  the 
common  names,   to    be  either    beneficial  or  baneful  to  that 

animal  ;  for  example, 
sheep  sorrel,  catnip, 
wolfsbane.  But  dog 
and  horse  in  combina- 
tion may  and  often  do 
mean  simply  worthless, 
or  coarse.  The  early 
botanists,  like  the  bib- 
lical writers  and  Shake- 
speare, held  the  dog  in 
slight  repute.  It  is 
therefore  questionable 
whether  the  name  Dog- 
wood was  meant  to  con- 
vey contempt  for  the 
tree  as  worthless  for 
timber,  or  whether  it 
referred  to  the  value  of  its  astringent  bark  as  a  cure  for  the 
mange  in  dogs. 

There  are  more  dogwoods  in  North  America  than  anywhere 
else  in  the  world  ;  sixteen  species  have  been  distinguished. 
Three  of  these  are  trees,  two  found  east  of  the  Rocky  Moun- 
tains and  one  upon  the  Pacific  slope.  The  others  are  mostly 
shrubs.  One  herb  of  the  family,  the  Dwarf  Cornel,  grows  in 
northern  woods.  In  the  early  tertiary  epoch  Cornus  inhab- 
ited the  arctic  regions  and  in  the  eocene  period,  forms  now 
existing  appeared  in  Europe. 


Dogwood,   Cornus  florida.     Fruit   %!  to  X'  'on^ 


174 


ALTERNATE-LEAVED    DOGWOOD 

ALTERNATE-LEAVED    DOGWOOD 

CSrnus  alternifolia. 

Usually  a  shrub  sending  up  several  stems  from  the  ground  ;  some- 
times a  tree,  flat-topped  and  bushy,  that  reaches  the  height  of  twen- 
ty-five feet.  Found  along  the  margins  of  the  forest  and  by  the  bor- 
ders of  trees  and  swamps  ;  in  moist,  well  drained  soil. 

Bark. — Dark  reddish  brown,  with  shallow  ridges.  Branchlets  at 
first  pale  reddish  green,  later  dark  green. 

Wood. — Reddish  brown,  sapwood  pale  ;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained. 
Sp.  gr.,  0.6696;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  41.73  lbs. 

Winter  Buds.  — Light  chestnut  brown,  acute.  Inner  scales  enlarge 
with  the  growing  shoot  and  become  half  an  inch  long  before  they 
fall. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  rarely  opposite,  often  clustered  at  the  ends  of 
the  branch,  simple,  three  to  five  inches  long,  two  to  three  wide,  oval 
or  ovate,  wedge-shaped  or  rounded  at  base  ;  margin  is  wavy  toothed, 
sHghtly  reflexed,  apex  acuminate.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  invo- 
lute, reddish  green  above,  coated  with  silvery  white  tomentum  be- 
neath, when  full  grown  are  bright  green  above,  pale,  downy,  almost 
white  beneath.  Feather-veined,  midrib  broad,  yellowish,  prominent 
beneath,  with  about  six  pairs  of  primary  veins.  In  autumn  they  turn 
yellow^,  or  yellow  and  scarlet.  Petioles  slender,  grooved,  haity,  with 
clasping  bases. 

Flowers. — April,  May.  Perfect,  cream  color,  borne  in  many-flow- 
ered, broad,  open  cymes,  at  the  end  of  short  lateral  branches. 

Calyx. — Cup-shaped,  obscurely  four-toothed,  woolly. 

Corolla. — Petals  four,  valvate  in  bud,  inserted  on  disk  ;  cream  col- 
ored, oblong,  rounded  at  apex. 

Sta7)iens. — Four,  inserted  on  the  disk,  alternate  with  the  petals, 
exserted  ;  filaments  long,  slender  ;  anthers  oblong,  introrse,  versa- 
tile, two-celled  ;  cells  opening  longitudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  inferior,  two-celled  ;  style  columnar  ;  stigma  capi- 
tate. 

Fruit. — Drupe,  globular,  blue-black,  one-third  inch  across,  tipped 
with  remnant  of  style  which  rises  from  a  slight  depression  ;  nut  obo- 
void,  many-grooved.     October. 

This  is  the  only  Dogwood  with  alternate  leaves  ;  all  the 
others  bear  their  leaves  opposite.  The  tree  is  very  pretty 
because  of  its  wide  spreading  shelving  branches  and  flat- 
topped  head,  and  is  often  found  in  ornamental  grounds.    The 

175 


DOGWOOD    FAMILY 


Spray  of  Alternate-leaved  Dogwood,  Cormts  alternifolta. 

Leaves  3'  to  5'  long,  2'   to  3'  broad. 


TUPELO 


flower  clusters  have  no  great  white  involucre  as  have  those 
of  the  Flowering  Dogwood,  and  the  fruit  is  dark  purple  in- 
stead of  red  and  of  intensely  disagreeable  aromatic  flavor. 


TTTPELO.    PEPPERIDGE.    SOUR  GUM 

Nyssa  syh'dtica. 

A-yssa,  the  name  of  the  nymph  who  reared  Bacchus,  was  given  to 
the  genus  by  Linnaeus.      Pepperidge  is  meaningless. 

Found  in  eastern  North  America.  Loves  the  borders  of  swamps 
and  low  wet  lands.  Usually  reaches  the  height  of  fifty  feet  and  oc- 
casionally one  hundred  ;  variable  in  form.  Roots  large,  striking 
deep. 

Bark. — Light  reddish  brown,  deeply  furrowed  and  scaly.  Branch- 
lets  at  first  pale  green  to  orange,  sometimes  smooth,  often  downy, 
later  dark  brown. 

Wood. — Pale  yellow,  sapwood  white  ;  heavy,  strong,  very  tough, 
hard  to  split,  not  durable  in  contact  with  the  soil.  Used  for  turnery. 
Sp.  gr.,  0.6353  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  39.59.   . 

Whiter  Buds. — Dark  red,  obtuse,  one-fourth  of  an  inch  long. 
Inner  scales  enlarge  with  the  growing  shoot,  becoming  red  before 
they  fall. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  often  crowded  at  the  end  of  the  lateral 
branches,  simple,  linear,  oblong  to  oval,  two  to  five  inches  long, 
one-half  to  three  inches  broad,  wedge-shaped  or  rounded  at  base, 
entire,  with  margin  slightly  thickened,  acute  or  acuminate.  They 
come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate,  coated  beneath  with  rusty  to- 
mentum,  when  full  grown  are  thick,  dark  green,  very  shining  above, 
pale  and  often  hairy  beneath.  Feather- veined,  midrib  and  primary 
veins  prominent  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  bright  scarlet,  or 
yellow  and  scarlet.  Petioles  one-quarter  to  one-half  an  inch  long, 
slender  or  stout,  terete  or  margined,  often  red. 

Flowers. — May,  June,  when  leaves  are  half  grown.  Polygamo- 
dicecious,  yellowish  green,  borne  on  slender  downy  peduncles. 
Staminate  in  many-flowered  heads  ;  pistillate  in  two  to  several- 
flowered  clusters. 

Calyx.  — Cup-shaped,  five-toothed. 

C'^r^//^?.— Petals  five,  imbricate  in  bud,  yellow  green,  ovate,  thick, 
slightly  spreading,  inserted  on  the  margin  of  the  conspicuous  disk. 

Stamens. — Five  to  twelve.  In  staminate  flowers  exserted,  in  pis- 
tillate short,  often  wanting. 

177 


DOGWOOD    FAMILY 


Fruiting  Branch  of  Tupelo,  N^vssa  sylvatica. 
Leaves  2'  to  5'  long. 


TUPELO 

Pistil. — Ovary  inferior,  one  to  two-celled  ;  style  stout,  exserted, 
reflexed  above  the  middle.  Entirely  wanting  in  sterile  flower. 
Ovules,  one  in  each  cell. 

Fruit. — Fleshy  drupe,  one  to  three  from  each  flower  cluster. 
Ovoid,  two-thirds  of  an  inch  long,  dark  blue,  acid.  Stone  more 
or  less  ridged.     October. 


The  glossy  beauty  of  the  Tupelo  is  undoubtedly  the  rea- 
son why  it  so  often  is  permitted  to  escape  the  levelling  axe 
and  allowed  to  stand  in  the  fields  with  the  elm,  oak,  and  ma- 
ple. In  such  a  situation  its  contour  is  as  individual  as  that 
of  any  of  its  companions. 
The  stem  rises  to  the  sum- 
mit of  the  tree  in  one  ta- 
pering unbroken  shaft,  the 
branches  come  out  at  right 
angles  to  the  trunk  and 
either  extend  horizontally 
or  droop  a  little,  making  a 
long,  narrow,  cone- like 
head.  The  spray  is  fine 
and  abundant  and  lies  hor- 
izontally so  that  the  foli- 
age arrangement  is  not  un- 
like that  of  the  beech. 
The  leaves  are  short  peti- 
oled  and  so  have  little  in- 
dividual    motion,     but     the    Tupelo,  Hyssa  .ylvaUca.     Drupes 

branch  sways  as  a  whole. 

The  tree  rarely  flourishes  in  exposed  positions,  it  dies  at  the 
top  and  lives  on  in  a  half-hearted  way  until  the  friendly  axe 
ends  the  unequal  struggle.  But,  allowed  to  grow  in  freedom, 
sheltered  but  not  crowded,  it  develops  a  full  round  head  and 
lives  to  good  old  age. 

The  flowers  are  inconspicuous,  but  the  fruit  is  quite  marked, 
dark  blue,  in  clusters  of  two  or  three,  sour  but  eagerly  sought 
by  the  birds. 

Its  autumnal  coloring  is  superb  ;  the  foliage  becomes  one 

^7^ 


long. 


DOGWOOD   FAMILY 

glowing  mass  of  scarlet,  sometimes  dashed  with  orange.  It 
is  the  most  fiery  and  brilliant  of  all  that  brilliant  group, — the 
maple,  dogwood,  sassafras,  liquidambar,  and  tupelo. 

The  wood  is  noted  for  the  unusual  arrangement  of  its  fibres 
which  instead  of  running  in  parallel  lines  are  curiously  twisted 
and  interwoven,  so  that  it  is  extremely  difficult  to  split. 

The  tree  has  different  names  in  different  parts  of  the 
country.  In  the  south  it  is  generally  called  Sour  Gum,  in 
the  middle  west,  Pepperidge,  and  in  New  England  it  retains 
its  pretty  Indian  name,  Tupelo. 


iSo 


CAPRIFOLIACE.E— HONEYSUCKLE 
FAMILY 

SWEET  VIBURNUM.    SHEEPBERRY 

J  ^ihb  >i  II  »i  leu  tago. 

VibiirmDH  is  a  Latin  name  of  unknown  meaning. 
Lentago,  from  lentus,  an  allusion  to  its  flexible  branches. 

A  small  tree  about  twenty  feet  in  height,  with  a  short  trunk, 
round-topped  head,  pendulous,  flexible  branches.  Roots  fibrous, 
wood  ill-smelling.  Loves  wet  soil  along  the  borders  of  the  forest, 
often  found  in  fence  corners  and  along  roadsides.  Ranges  from 
Quebec  to  the  Saskatchewan  River,  southward  through  the  northern 
states  to  Georgia  and  west  to  Missouri  and  Nebraska. 

^^r/C'. —Reddish  brown,  divided  into  small  thick  plates,  sur- 
face scaly.  Branchlets  at  first  pale  green,  covered  with  rusty  down, 
finally  become  dark  reddish  brown,  sometimes  glaucous. 

Wood. — Dark  orange  brown  ;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained.  Sp. 
gr.,  0.7303  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  45.51  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Light  red,  covered  with  pale  scurfy  down,  pro- 
tected by  a  pair  of  opposite  scales.  Flower-bearing  buds  are  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  long,  obovate,  long  pointed.  Other  terminal 
buds  are  acute,  one-half  an  inch  long  ;  lateral  buds  much  smaller. 
Bud-scales  enlarge  with  the  growing  shoot  and  often  become  leaf- 
like. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  simple,  ovate,  two  and  one-half  inches  long, 
wedge-shaped,  rounded  or  subcordate  at  base,  serrate,  acuminate. 
They  come  out  of  the  bud  involute,  bronze  green  and  shining,  hairy 
and  downy  ;  when  full  grown  are  bright  green  and  shining  above, 
pale  green  and  marked  with  tiny  black  dots  beneath.  Feather 
veined,  midrib  sle^nder,  primary  veins  connected  by  conspicuous 
veinlets.  In  autumn  they  turn  a  deep  red,  or  red  and  orange. 
Petioles  broad,  grooved,  winged  or  wingless,  an  inch  to  an  inch  and 
a  half  in  length.     Stipules  tiny,  occasional. 

r8i 


HONEYSUCKLE    FAMILY 

Flowers. — May,  June.  Perfect,  cream-white,  borne  in  stout, 
branched,  scurfy,  flat,  terminal  cymes,  from  three  to  five  inches  in 
diameter.     Bracts  and  bractlets,  triangular,  green,  caducous. 

Calyx. — Tubular,  equally  five-toothed,  persistent. 

Corolla. — Rotate,  equally  five-lobed,  imbricate  in  the  bud,  cream- 
white,  one-quarter  of  an  inch  across  ;  lobes  acute,  and  slightly 
erose. 

Stamens. — Five,  inserted  on  the  base  of  the  corolla,  alternate  with 
its  lobes,  exserted  ;  filaments  slender ;  anthers  bright  yellow,  ob- 
long, introrse,  versatile,  two-celled  ;    cells  opening  longitudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  inferior,  one-celled  ;  style  thick,  short,  light  green  ; 
stigma  broad  ;    ovules  one  in  each  cell. 

Fruit. — Fleshy  drupe,  crowned  with  the  calyx  tube,  borne  on 
slender,  drooping,  red  stalks,  in  few-fruited  clusters,  oval,  flattened, 
thick  skinned,  black  or  dark  Ijlue,  glaucous,  sweet,  and  rather  juicy. 
Stone  oblong  oval,  flattened.     September. 

The  Sheepberry  is  one  of  the  largest  of  the  Viburnums.  It  is  admired  for  its 
compact  habit,  its  lustrous  foliage  which  insects  rarely  disfigure,  its  beautiful 
and  abundant  flowers,  its  handsome  edible  fruit  and  its  brilliant  autumnal  color. 
It  readily  adapts  itself  to  cultivation,  and  is  one  of  the  best  of  the  small  trees  of 
eastern  America  for  the  decoration  of  parks  and  gardens  in  all  regions  of  ex- 
treme winter  cold.  It  is  easily  raised  from  seeds  which,  like  those  of  the  other 
American  species,  do  not  germinate  until  the  second  year  after  they  are  planted. 

—Charles  S.  Sargent. 

There  is  a  softness  and  richness  about  the  flowers  and  foliage  of  the  Sweet 
Viburnum  which  distinguish  it  above  all  others  of  the  same  genus. 

—George  B.  P:mekson. 

The  one  that  seems  to  me  to  bear  the  most  resemblance  to  the  English  Way- 
faring-tree is  the  Sweet  Viburnum.  Many  of  our  shrubs  produce  more  showy 
flowers,  but  few  surpass  it  in  the  beauty  of  its  fruit.  The  berries  are  of  the  size 
of  damsons,  hanging  profusely  from  the  branches  like  clusters  of  grapes.  They 
are  dark  purple  when  ripe  with  a  lustre  that  is  not  seen  in  the  grape.  Just 
before  they  ripen  they  are  crimson,  and  berries  of  this  color  are  often  blended 
with  the  ripened  fruit. 

— Wilson  Flagg. 


182 


SWEET    VIBURNUM 


Spr:ivs  of  Sweet  Vibuinum.   ribiinmni  h'liUigc 

Leaves  2'  to  2%'  long. 


HONEYSUCKLE  FAMILY 


BLACK  HAW.  STAG  BUSH 

Vibtirmim  prnni/bliii/n. 

Often  a  shrub,  sometimes  a  small  bushy  tree  with  short  crooked 
trunk  and  stout  spreading  branches.  Found  in  the  undergrowth  of 
the  forest.  Ranges  from  Connecticut  to  Georgia  westward  to  Kan- 
sas and  Indian  Territory. 

Bark. — Reddish  brown,  scaly.  Branchlets  at  first  red,  then  green, 
finally  dark  brown  tinged  with  red. 

Wood. — Brown  tinged  with  red  ;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained.  Sp. 
gr.,  0.8332  ;   weight  of  cu.  ft.,  51.92  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Coated  with  rusty  tomentum.  Flower-buds  ovate, 
half  an  inch  long,  much  larger  than  the  axillary  buds.  Scales  grow 
with  the  growing-  shoot  and  sometimes  develop  into  leaf-like  bodies. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  simple,  oval,  ovate  or  orbicular,  two  to  three 
inches  long,  wedge-shaped  or  rounded  at  base,  serrate,  acute. 
Feather  -  veined,  midrib  and  primary  veins  prominent  beneath. 
They  come  out  of  the  bud  involute,  shining,  green,  tinged  with  red, 
sometimes  smooth,  or  clothed  with  rusty  tomentum  ;  when  full  grown 
dark  green  and  smooth  above,  pale,  smooth  or  tomentose  beneath. 
In  autumn  the  leaves  vary  from  scarlet  to  a  vinous  red.  Petioles 
short,  grooved,  red,  often  tomentose,  sometimes  winged. 

Flowers. —  May.  Perfect,  cream-white,  borne  in 
flat-topped  cymes  three  to  four  inches  in  diameter. 
The  pedicels  are  bibracteolate  ;  bracts  are  awl- 
shaped,  short,  reddish,  caducous. 

Calyx. — Urn-shaped,  five-toothed,  persistent. 

Corolla. — White,  five-lobed  ;  lobes  rounded,  im- 
bricate in  bud. 

Single  Flower  of  „  _.  ,     .  i  i        i  c 

Black  Haw  Vi-  Stamens. — Five,  exserted,  mserted  on  the  base  01 

biinium  pruni-     the  corolla,  alternate  with  the  lobes  ;  filaments  slen- 
foiium.  der ;  anthers  pale  yellow,  oblong,  introrse,  versatile, 

two-celled  ;  cells  opening  longitudinally. 

Pistil.— Ovd.Yy  inferior,  one-celled  ;  style  thick,  pale  green  ;  stigma 
flat ;  ovules  one  in  each  cell. 

Fruit. — Drupe,  oval,  half  an  inch  long,  dark  blue,  with  glaucous 
bloom.  Ripens  in  October,  borne  in  few-fruited  clusters,  han;j;s 
until  winter,  becomes  edible  after  being  touched  by  the  frost.  Stone 
flat  and  even,  broadly  oval. 


184 


BLACK   HAW 


Sprays  of  Black  Haw.   y/Ivin/inn  pniuifolium. 
Leaves  2'  to  y  long. 


ERICACEiE— HEATH   FAMILY 

MOUNTAIN  LAUREL.   KALMIA 

Kdlmia  latifoUa. 

Kalmia  commemorates  the  labors  of  Peter  Kalm,  a  friend  and  pu- 
pil of  Linnaeus,  who  travelled  in  eastern  North  America  in  1753. 

In  the  north  a  broad  dense  shrub  five  to  ten  feet  high  with  many 
crooked  branches  and  a  round  compact  head  ;  only  becoming  a  tree 
on  the  mountains  of  North  and  South  Carolina.  Ranges  from  Can- 
ada to  the  Gulf  along  the  highlands  and  mountains,  and  westward  to 
Arkansas.  It  is  tolerant  of  many  locations,  loves  swamp  land  or 
dry  slopes  at  the  borders  of  the  forest,  will  climb  the  mountain-side 
to  an  elevation  of  three  thousand  feet  or  more  ;  does  not  flourish  in 
a  limestone  country.     Roots  fibrous,  matted.     Easily  cultivated. 

Bark . — Dark  brown  tinged  with  red,  furrowed  and  scaly.  Branch- 
lets  at  first  light  reddish  green,  downy,  later  smooth,  red  green  and 
shining,  finally  all  a  bright  red  brown. 

Wood. — Brown  tinged  with  red  ;  heavy,  hard,  rather  brittle,  close- 
grained.     Sp.  gr.,  0.7160;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  44.62  lbs. 

Winter'  Buds. — Leaf-buds  naked,  forming  in  midsummer  in  the 
axils  of  leaves  just  below  those  from  which  the  clusters  of  flower-buds 
are  produced  by  which  they  are  almost  covered.  The  tip  of  the 
branch  dies  when  these  axillary  buds  are  formed.  Inner  scales  en- 
large with  the  growing  shoot,  becoming  an  inch  long  before  falling. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  or  in  pairs,  or  in  threes,  simple,  persistent, 
oblong,  three  to  four  inches  long,  one  to  one  and  a  half  inches  wide, 
wedge-shaped  at  base,  entire,  acute  or  rounded  at  apex  and  tipped 
with  a  callous  point.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate  ;  each 
leaf  enclosed  by  the  one  directly  below  it,  slightly  tinged  with  pink 
and  covered  with  glandular  white  hairs,  when  full  grown  are  thick 
and  rigid,  dark  shining  green  above,  pale  yellow  green  beneath; 
midrib    broad,  yellow,  rounded  above  and    below,  veins    obscure. 

186 


MOUNTAIN    LAUREL 


Fiuitini;  Brunch  oi  Mountuin  Laurel,  Kalniia  latifolia. 

Leaves  y  to  4'  long,    \'  to   \%'  broad. 


HEATH   FAMILY 


They  remain  green  and  fall  during  the  second  summer.  Petioles 
short,  stout,  slightly  flattened. 

Flowers. — Flowers  appear  in  May  or  June  from  buds  which  are 
formed  in  autumn  in  the  axils  of  the  upper  leaves  in  the  form  of 
slender  cones  of  downy  green  scales.  These  buds  usually  develop 
two  or  more  lateral  branches,  the  whole  forming  a  compound  many- 
flowered  corymb  four  or  five  inches  in  diameter  and  overlapped  at 
the  flowering  time  by  the  leafy  branches  of  the  year.  Pedicels  are 
red  or  green,  hairy  or  scurfy  and  furnished  with  two  bracts  at  base 
and  developed  from  the  axils  of  large  bracts. 

Calyx. — Five-parted  ;  lobes  imbricate'in  bud,  narrow,  acute,  cov- 
ered with  glutinous  hairs.     Disk  prominent,  ten-lobed. 

Corolla. — Saucer-shaped,  rose  colored,  white,  or  pink.  Tube  short 
with  ten  tiny  sacs  just  below  the  five-parted  limb  ;  lobes  ovate,  acute, 
imbricate  in  bud.  The  border  is  marked  on  the  inner  surface  with 
a  waving  rosy  line  and  is  slightly  purple  above  the  sac.  The  buds 
are  ten-ribbed  from  the  sacs  to  the  acute  apex  of  the  bud. 

Stamens. — Ten,  hypogynous,  shorter  than  the  corolla,  at  first  held 
in  the  sacs  of  the  corolla  ;  filaments  thread-like  ;  anthers  oblong, 
adnate,  two-celled  ;  cells  opening  by  a  short  longitudinal  pore. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  five-celled  ;  style  thread-like,  exserted  ; 
stigma  capitate ;  ovules  many  in  each  cell. 

Fruit. — Woody  capsule,  many  seeded,  depressed  -  globular, 
slightly  five-lobed,  five-celled,  five-valved.  Crowned  with  the  per- 
sistent style,  surrounded  at  base  by  the  persistent  calyx,  covered 
with  viscid  hairs.     Seeds  oblong. 

The  blossoms  of  the  Moun- 
tain Laurel  are  equipped  with 
a  most  evident  device  to  se- 
cure cross-fertilization.  Nat- 
ure has  many  such  arrange- 
ments, but  it  is  not  often  that 
they  are  so  openly  displayed. 
In  this  case,  however,  he  who 
runs  may  read.  Each  fliower 
has  ten  stamens  and  each  co- 
rolla is  provided  with  ten  lit- 
tle pockets.  When  the  flower 
opens  each  stamen  is  found 
bent  back  with  its  anther 
thrust  into  one  of  these  tiny  cavities.  In  the  centre  of  the 
flower  lies  the  nectar,  and  when  the  bee  comes  to  get  it,  he 

i£8 


Flower  Cluster  of  Mountain  Laurel,  Kalmia 
latifolia. 


I 


RHODODENDRON 

brushes  against  the  filaments,  which  fly  up  and  scatter  their 
pollen  over  his  body.  He  leaves  on  the  stigma  of  the  next 
flower  he  visits  the  pollen  he  has  gathered  in  the  first,  and 
so  on  he  goes  from  flower  to  flower.  He  probably  thinks 
that  gathering  honey  is  his  business,  but  as  a  matter  of  fact 
it  is  a  very  small  part  of  his  duties  in  the  economy  of  nature. 
The  Mountain  Laurel  is  one  of  the  most  satisfactory 
shrubs  for  lawn  or  garden.  When  in  full  bloom  it  is  of  sur- 
passing beauty,  and  its  bright  evergreen  leaves  make  it  con- 
spicuous at  any  time.  These  leaves  are  believed  to  be  poi- 
sonous to  cattle,  and  the  species,  Kalmia  angiistifolia^  a  low 
shrub  in  pastures,  is  popularly  called  Lambkill ;  but  the 
probability  is  that  its  noxious  qualities  have  been  overrated. 
The  best  observers  are  inclined  to  refer  what  deleterious 
qualities  there  may  be  to  the  coarse,  resinous  character  of 
the  leaves  which  make  them  indigestible  than  to  any  positive 
noxious  principle  contained  in  them. 

RHODODENDRON.  GREAT  LAUREL.  ROSE  BAY 

Rh  ododeii  dro  n  in  dx  i»i  urn. 

In  the  north  a  shrub  with  many  divergent  stems  and  contorted 
branches,  ten  or  twelve  feet  tall.  Roots  fibrous.  Distributed  from 
Nova  Scotia  to  shores  of  Lake  Erie  and  southward  to  northern  Geor- 
gia. Common  on  the  mountains  of  New  York,  it  becomes  abundant 
in  Virginia,  and  on  the  high  lands  of  Tennessee  and  the  Carolinas  it 
forms  dense  thickets  hundreds  of  acres  in  extent.  Flourishes  in  all 
soils  except  those  containing  lime. 

Bark. — Reddish  brown,  scaly.  Branchlcts  at  first  green,  covered 
with  red  or  rusty  tomentum,  later  become  reddish  brown  or  gray 
tinged  with  red. 

Wood. — Light  brown  ;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained.  Sp.  gr., 
0.6303  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  39.28  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Leaf  buds  clearly  seen  in  midsunmier,  conical, 
dark  green,  axillary  or  terminal,  on  barren  shoots  covered  with 
closely  imbricated  scales.  Outer  scales  persist  until  shoot  is  half 
grown  ;  inner  scales  enlarge  with  the  growing  shoot  and  are  carried 
up  with  it.  Flower-buds  are  full  grown  by  September,  terminal, 
cone-like,  an  inch  and  a  half  long,  covered  with  many  imbricated 
bracts  which  contract  at  the  apex  into  long  slender  points. 

i8<) 


HEATH    FAMILY 

Leaves. — Alternate,  usually  clustered  at  the  ends  of  the  branches, 
persistent,  elliptical,  oblong,  four  to  ten  inches  long,  wedge-shaped 
or  rounded  at  base,  entire,  thickened  slightly,  revolute  margin, 
acute  apex.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  revolute,  pale  green,  cov- 
ered with  thick  pale  tomentum.  When  full  grown  are  smooth, 
thick,  leathery,  dark  green  and  shining  above,  pale  beneath  ;  mid- 
rib broad,  pale,  depressed  above,  prominent  beneath  ;  veinlets  ob- 
scure.    Petioles  stout,  short,  terete. 

Floivers. — June,  after  the  shoots  of  the  year  from  the  buds  below 
the  flower-buds  are  well  grown.  Borne  in  umbellate  clusters  four 
or  five  inches  in  diameter,  perfect,  pale  rose,  or  white.  Pedicels 
viscid;  bracts  caducous. 

Calyx. — Five-lobed  ;  lobes  rounded,  imbricate  in  bud. 

Corolla. — Campanulate,  gibbous  on  the  posterior  side,  hairy  in 
the  throat,  pale  rose,  purplish,  or  white,  five-lobed  ;  lobes  rounded, 
veined  ;  upper  lobe  marked  with  yellow  greenish  spots. 

Stametis. — Eight  to  twelve,  white,  inserted  on  a  disk  ;  filaments, 
unequal,  declined,  bearded  ;  anthers  attached  on  the  back,  two- 
celled  ;  each  cell  opening  by  a  terminal  pore. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  five-celled,  hairy  ;  style  long,  white,  de- 
clined ;  stigma  red,  five-lobed  ;  ovules  many  in  each  cell. 

Fruit. — Capsule,  surrounded  at  base  by  the  persistent  calyx  and 
crowned  with  the  style. 

The  Rhododendron  becomes  a  tree  in  the  south  only  ;  on 
the  mountains  of  Pennsylvania,  New  York,  and  Virginia  it 
remains  a  shrub,  but  one  of  the  most  attractive  shrubs  in  our 
flora.  Both  leaf  and  flower  are  matured  in  midsummer  and 
they  are  so  large  and  crown  the  summit  of  the  stem  so  per- 
fectly that  they  cannot  escape  observation. 

The  Rhododendron,  the  Kalmia,  the  Holly,  and  the  Holly- 
leaved  Mahonia  make  up  our  northern  list  of  broad-leaved 
evergreens.  All  other  broad-leaved  trees  of  our  flora  have 
become  deciduous.  Here  and  there  individual  oaks  retain 
their  leaves  all  winter  ;  so  do  many  young  beeches.  These 
persistent  leaves  are  brown  and  withered  it  is  true,  but  they 
speak  of  a  time  when  the  trees  were  evergreen.  The  Oak 
family  still  retains  an  evergreen  species,  and  in  South 
America  the  forests  of  Patagonia  wave  green  and  dark  with 
an  evergreen  beech. 

The  Rhododendron  flourished  in  the  arctic  regions  in 
tertiary  times,  and  traces  of  several  species  are  found  in  the 
miocene  rocks  of  Europe. 

190 


RHODODENDRON 


Flowering  Spray  of  the  Rhododendron,  Rl,oM;„rou  ,„«/„„„„. 

Leaves  4'  to  ic'  long. 


HEATH    FAMILY 

The  ancestry  and  history  of  our  cultivated  Rhododendrons 
are  most  admirably  given  by  Professor  Sargent  in  "The  Silva 
of  North  America."     He  says  : 

The  cultivated  varieties  of  Rhododendrons  are  of  garden  origin  and  mixed 
blood.  These  are  chiefly  of  four  races,  Indian  Azaleas,  Ghent  Azaleas,  The  Ca- 
tawbiense  Rhododendrons  and  Javanese  Rhododendrons.  The  Indian  Azaleas 
of  the  garden  are  improved  forms  of  R.  Indicum^  a  native  of  China  and  Japan 
which  owes  its  name  to  the  fact  that  it  was  first  sent  to  Europe  from  India  ;  in  its 
native  countries  it  is  a  variable  plant  with  persistent  or  deciduous  leaves  and 
small  and  usually  brick-red  flowers  ;  for  centuries  it  has  been  cultivated  by  the 
Chinese  and  Japanese  who  value  it  as  a  chief  ornament  of  their  gardens,  al- 
though improvement  in  the  size,  form,  and  coloring  of  its  flowers  is  due  to  the 
skill  of  European  gardeners,  who,  especially  in  Belgium,  have  devoted  much  at- 
tention to  this  plant.  The  race  of  Ghent  Azaleas  has  been  produced  by  cross- 
ing the  yellow-flowered  Oriental  R.  flavum  with  the  North  American  R.  calen- 
dulaceum  R.  viscosum  and  R.  nudiflorum,  and  then  by  crossing  their  hybrid 
progeny  with  each  other  and  with  the  eastern  Asiatic  R.  siiieiise  and  later  with 
the  Californian  R.  occidentale  and  with  R.  arborescens  of  the  Alleghany  Moun- 
tains. 

The  product  of  these  crosses  and  of  years  of  careful  selection  carried  on 
principally  in  Belgium  and  England  is  a  race  of  hardy  shrubs  with  fragrant  flow- 
ers in  colors  passing  from  white  through  yellow  and  orange  to  pink  and  red. 

The  Catawbiense  Rhododendrons  have  been  produced  by  crossing  R.  cataw- 
biense,  a  native  of  the  high  summits  of  the  southern  Alleghany  Mountains 
which  it  sometimes  covers  with  vast  thickets,  with  R.  Ponticum,  the  offspring 
being  again  crossed  with  R.  arboreum  and  other  Indian  species  with  bright 
colored  flowers  or  with  the  North  American  R.  maximum.  The  race  of  Javan- 
ese Rhododendrons,  conspicuous  for  their  brilliantly  colored  flowers  and  their 
habit  of  flowering  continuously,  has  been  obtained  by  English  gardeners  by  in- 
terbreeding~  R.  Javatiictim  and  other  Malayan  species  with  persistent  foliage 
and  yellow,  orange,  and  scarlet  flowers. 


SOURWOOD.     SORREL-TREE 

Oxydcndnim  arboreum. 

Oxydendrjim,  of  Greek  derivation,  means  sour  tree. 

A  slender  tree  reaching  the  maximum  height  of  sixty  feet,  with 
slender  spreading  branches  and  oblong,  round-topped  head.  Ranges 
from  Pennsylvania  along  the  Alleghany  Mountains  to  Florida  and 
Alabama,  westward  through  Ohio  to  southern  Indiana  and  south- 
ward through  Arkansas  and  Louisiana  to  the  coast. 

Bark. — Gray  with  a  reddish  tinge,  deeply  furrowed  and  scaly. 
Branchlets  at  first  light  yellow  green,  later  reddish  brown. 

192 


SOURWOOD 


Sourvvood,  Oxydendmm  arboreitm. 

Leaves  4'  to  Y  long. 


HEATH    FAMILY 


Wood. — Reddish    brown,    sapwood    paler;    heavy,    hard,    close- 
take  a  high  polish.     Sp.  gr.,  0.7458  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft., 


grained,  wi 
46.48  lbs. 


Winter  Buds. — Axillary,  minute,  dark  red,  partly 
immersed  in  the  bark.  Inner  scales  enlarge  when 
spring  growth  begins. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  four  to  seven  inches  long,  one 
and  a  half  to  two  and  a  half  inches  wide,  oblong  to 
oblanceolate,  wedge-shaped  at  base,  serrate,  acute 
or  acuminate.  Feather-veined,  midrib  conspicuous. 
They  come  out  of  the  bud  revolute,  bronze  green  and 
shining,  smooth,  when  full  grown  are  dark  green, 
shining  above,  pale  and  glaucous  below.  In  autumn 
they  turn  bright  scarlet.  Petioles  long  and  slender, 
stipules  wanting.     Heavily  laden  with  acid. 

Flowers. — June,  July.  Perfect,  cream-white,  borne 
in  terminal  panicles  of  secund  racemes  seven  to  eight 
inches  long  ;  rachis  and  short  pedicels  downy. 

Calyx. — Five-parted,  persistent  ;  lobes  valvate  m 
bud. 

Corolla. — Ovoid-cylindric,  narrowed  at  the  throat, 
cream-white,  five-toothed. 

Stamens. — Ten,  inserted  on  the 
wider  than  the  anthers  ;  anthers 
opening  by  long  chinks. 

Pistil. — Ovary    superior, 
columnar  ;  stigma    simple 
many. 

Fricit. — Capsule,    downy 


corolla  ;   filaments 
two-celled  ;    cells 


ovoid,    five-celled ;    style 
disk    ten-toothed,    ovules 

five-valved,    five -angled, 


tipped  by  the  persistent  style,  the  pedicels 


Raceme  of  flow- 
ers of  Sour- 
wood,  Oxy- 
dendrum  ar- 
boreum. 


The  SoLirwood  is  perfectly  hardy  at  the  north 
and  is  worthy  of  a  place  in  lawns  and  parks.  Its 
late  bloom  makes  it  desirable  and  its  autumnal 
coloring  is  particularly  beautiful  and  brilliant. 
The  leaves  are  heavily  charged  with  acid,  and  to 
some  extent  have  the  poise  of  those  of  the 
peach. 


194 


EBENACE^— EBONY   FAMILY 

PERSIMMON 

Diospyros  virginiana. 

Diospyros,  of  Greek  derivation,  means  the  fruit  of  Jove.    Persimmon 
is  the  Indian  name. 

Small  tree  varying  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet  in  height,  short  slender 
trunk,  spreading,  often  pendulous  branches,  which  form  sometimes  a 
broad  and  sometimes  a  narrow  round-topped  head.  Prefers  a  light, 
sandy,  well-drained  soil,  but  will  grow  in  rich,  southern,  bottom  lands. 
Roots  thick,  fleshy  and  stoloniferous.     Given  to  shrubby  growth. 

Bark. — Dark  brown  or  dark  gray,  deeply  divided  into  plates 
whose  surface  is  scaly.  Branchlets  slender,  zigzag,  with  thick  pith 
or  large  pith  cavity  ;  at  first  light  reddish  brown  and  pubescent. 
They  vary  in  color  from  light  brown  to  ashy  gray  and  finally  become 
reddish  brown,  the  bark  somewhat  broken  by  longitudinal  fissures. 
Astringent  and  bitter. 

Wood. — Very  dark  ;  sapwood  yellowish  white  ;  heavy,  hard,  strong 
and  very  close-grained.     Sp.  gr.,  0.7908  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  49.28  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Ovate,  acute,  one-eighth  of  an  inch  long,  covered 
with  thick  reddish  or  purple  scales.  These  scales  are  sometimes 
persistent  at  the  base  of  the  branchlets. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  four  to  six  inches  long,  oval,  narrowed 
or  rounded  or  cordate  at  base,  entire,  acute  or  acuminate.  They 
come  out  of  the  bud  revolute,  thin,  pale,  reddish  green,  downy  with 
ciliate  margins,  when  full  grown  are  thick,  dark  green,  shining  above, 
pale  and  often  pubescent  beneath.  In  autumn  they  sometimes  turn 
orange  or  scarlet,  sometimes  fall  without  change  of  color.  Midrib 
broad  and  flat,  primary  veins  opposite  and  conspicuous.  Petioles 
stout,  pubescent,  one-half  to  an  inch  in  length. 

Flowers. — May,  June,  when  leaves  are  half-grown  ;  dioecious  or 
rarely  polygamous.  Staminate  flowers  borne  in  two  to  three-flowered 

195 


EBONY    FAMILY 

cymes  ;  the  pedicels  downy  and  bearing  two  minute  bracts.  Pistil- 
late flowers  solitary,  usually  on  separate  trees,  their  pedicels  short, 
recurved,  and  bearing  two  bractlets. 

Calyx. — Usually  four-lobed,  accrescent  under  the  fruit. 

Corolla. — Greenish  yellow  or  creamy  white,  tubular,  four-lobed  ; 
lobes  imbricate  in  bud. 

Stamens. — Sixteen,  inserted  on  the  corolla,  in  staminate  flowers  in 
two  rows.  Filaments  short,  slender,  slightly  hairy  ;  anthers  oblong, 
introrse,  two-celled,  cells  opening  longitudinally.  In  pistillate  flowers 
the  stamens  are  eight  with  aborted  anthers,  rarely  these  stamens  are 
perfect. 

Pistil  — Ox^xy  superior,  conical,  ultimately  eight-celled  ;  styles 
four,  slender,  spreading  ;  stigma  two-lobed. 

Fruit. — A  juicy  berry  containing  one  to  eight  seeds,  crowned  with 
the  remnants  of  the  style  and  seated  in  the  enlarged  calyx  ;  depressed- 
globular,  pale  orange  color,  often  red-cheeked  ;  with  slight  bloom, 
turning  yellowish  brown  after  freezing.  Flesh  astringent  while  green, 
sweet  and  luscious  when  ripe. 

They  have  a  plumb  which  they  call  pessemmins,  like  to  a  medler,  in  England, 
but  of  a  deeper  tawnie  cullour  ;  they  grow  on  a  most  high  tree.  When  they  are 
not  fully  ripe,  they  are  harsh  and  choakie,  and  furre  in  a  man's  mouth  like  allam, 
howbeit,  being  taken  fully  ripe,  yt  is  a  reasonable  pleasant  fruict,  somewhat 
lushious.  I  have  scene  our  people  put  them  into  their  baked  and  sodden  pud- 
dings ;  there  be  whose  tast  allows  them  to  be  as  pretious  as  the  English  apri- 
cock  ;  I  confess  it  is  a  good  kind  of  horse  plumb. 

— "  The  Historic  of  Travaile  into  Virginia  Brittania." 

The  longest  pole  takes  the  Persimmon. — Southern  Proverb. 

The  Persimmon  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  of  our  na- 
tive trees.  Its  habitat  is  sotithern,  it  appears  along  the  coast 
from  New  York  to  Florida  ;  west  of  the  Alleghanies  it  is 
found  in  southern  Ohio  and  along  through  southeastern 
Iowa  and  southern  Missouri  ;  when  it  reaches  Louisiana, 
eastern  Kansas  and  the  Indian  Territory  it  becomes  a 
mighty  tree,  one  hundred  and  fifteen  feet  high.  It  can  be 
grown  in  northern  Ohio  only  by  the  greatest  care,  and  in 
southern  Ohio  its  fruit  is  never  edible  until  after  frost. 

The  peculiar  characteristics  of  its  fruit  have  made  the  tree 
well  known.  This  fruit  is  a  globular  berry,  from  an  inch  to 
an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter,  varying  as  to  seeds,  some- 
times with  eight  and  sometimes  without  any.  It  bears  at  its 
Tipex  the  remnants  of  the  styles  and  sits  in  the  enlarged  and 

196 


PERSIMMON 


Persimmon,  Diospvros  vir^iniana. 
Leaves  4'  to  6'  long. 


EBONY  FAMILV 

persistent  calyx.  It  ripens  in  late  autumn,  is  pale  orange 
with  a  red  cheek,  often  covered  with  a  slight  glaucous  bloom. 
One  of  the  delights  of  the  natives 
in  the  south  is  to  induce  strangers 
to  taste  this  fruit,  for  its  bitter  as- 
tringency  is  something  that  can  be 
known  only  by  experience.  The 
frost  is  required  to  make  it  edible, 
but  having  been  subjected  to  this 
influence  it  becomes  sweet,  juicy 
and  delicious.  This  peculiar  as- 
tringency  is  due  to  the  presence  of 

Fruit  of  the  Persimmon,  Dtospy- 

ros  virginiana.  a  tanuHi  similar  to  that  of  Cinchona. 

The  fruit  is  much  appreciated  in  the 
southern  states  and  appears  abundantly  in  the  markets.  It  is 
much  sought  by  the  opossum,  who  is  supposed  to  fatten  upon 
it,  and  the  combination  of  persimmon,  opossum  and  negro 
was  very  common  in  the  slave  songs  of  ante-bellum  days. 

The  tree  is  greatly  inclined  to  vary  in  the  character  and 
quality  of  its  fruit,  in  size  this  varies  from  that  of  a  small 
cherry  to  a  small  apple.  Some  trees  in  the  south  produce 
fruit  which  is  delicious  without  the  action  of  the  frost,  while 
adjoining  trees  produce  fruit  that  never  becomes  edible. 

Several  varieties  of  the  species,  Diospyros  Kaki  have  been 
cultivated  in  China  and  Japan  from  most  ancient  times.  In- 
deed this  seems  to  be  the  universally  cultivated  fruit  tree  of 
Japan,  is  there  found  in  every  garden  and  by  every  cottage. 
The  Japanese  horticulturists  have  developed  it  into  almost 
as  many  varieties  as  our  gardeners  have  made  of  the  apple 
tree.  Some  of  these  have  been  introduced  into  California 
and  are  said  to  flourish  there.  The  California  persimmon 
often  offered  for  sale  in  our  northern  markets  is  the  product 
of  this  Japanese  tree. 

The  Persimmon  is  very  common  in  the  southern  and  Gulf 
states,  and  because  of  its  stoloniferous  roots  frequently 
makes  extensive  thickets  in  abandoned  fields  and  along  the 
roadsides  and  fences. 


PERSIMMON 

In  respect  to  the  power  of  making  heartwood,  the  Locust 
and  the  Persimmon  stand  at  the  extreme  opposite  ends  of 
the  list.  The  Locust  changes  its  sapwood  into  heartwood 
ahiiost  at  once,  while  the  Persimmon  rarely  develops  any 
heartwood  until  it  is  nearly  one  hundred  years  old.  This 
heartwood  is  extremely  close-grained  and  almost  black. 
Really,  it  is  ebony,  but  our  climate  is  not  favorable  to  its 
production.  The  ebony  of  commerce  is  derived  from  five 
different  tropical  species  of  the  genus,  two  from  India,  one 
from  Africa,  one  from  Malaya  and  one  from  Mauritius.  The 
beautiful  variegated  coromandel  wood  is  the  product  of  a 
species  found  in  Ceylon. 

Although  Diospyros  is  now  pre-eminently  a  tropical  tree, 
enduring  but  indifferently  the  cold  of  the  temperate  regions, 
its  fossil  remains  are  found  in  the  miocene  rocks  of  Green- 
land and  Alaska  and  in  the  cretaceous  formation  of  Ne- 
braska. 


igo 


STYRACACE^— STORAX   FAMILY 

SILVERBELL-TREE 

Mohrodcndron  carolhiiim.      Halesia  tctydptera. 

A  tree  sometimes  eighty  or  ninety  feet  in  height,  with  a  tall  straight 
trunk,  short  stout  branches  which  form  a  narrow  head  ;  usually  much 
smaller,  often  in  the  north  a  shrub  with  stout  spreading  stems. 
Roots  are  fibrous.  Ranges  from  the  mountains  of  West  Virginia 
southward  to  northern  Alabama  and  Florida,  westward  to  southern 
Illinois  and  Arkansas  and  eastern  Texas. 

Bark. — Red  brown,  with  broad  ridges,  and  surface  scaly.  Branch- 
lets  slender,  terete,  at  first  coated  with  pale  tomentum,  later  become 
reddish  brown  sometimes  glaucous.  In  the  second  year  the  bark 
darkens  and  begins  to  show  pale  longitudinal  fissures. 

Wood.  —  Light  brown,  sapwood  paler  brown  ;  light,  soft,  close- 
grained.     Sp.  gr. ,  0.5628  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  35.07  lbs. 

Winter  Buds.— Dark  red,  small,  obtuse,  hairy.  Outer  scales 
drop  when  spring  growth  begins  ;  inner  scales  lengthen  with  the 
growing  shoot,  become  strap-shaped,  bright  yellow  and  sometimes 
half  an  inch  long.     Flower-buds  ovate,  obtuse. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  exstipulate,  four  to  six  inches  long, 
two  to  three  wide,  oval  or  ovate-oblong,  wedge-shaped  or  rounded 
at  base,  obscurely  serrate,  abruptly  contracted  into  long  points  at 
the  apex.  Midrib  slender,  primary  veins  conspicuous.  They  come 
out  of  the  bud  involute,  bronze  red,  hairy  above,  petiole  and  lower 
surface  coated  with  thick  pale  tomentum,  when  full  grown  bright 
green  above,  paler  beneath.  In  autumn  they  become  pale  yellow 
and  fall  late.     Petioles  short,  stout. 

Flowers.— "Sl^iy,  when  leaves  are  about  one-third  grown.  White, 
perfect,  about  one  inch  long,  borne  on  short,  few-flowered  racemes 
or  fascicles  developed  from  the  axils  of  the  previous  year's  leaves, 
subtended  by  bracts.  Pedicles  slender,  drooping,  downy,  one  to 
two  inches  in  length.     Bracts  obovate,  yellow  green,  caducous. 


SILVERBELL-TREE 


Fruitinu  Branch  of  Silverbell-Tree,  Mohrodciidrcvi  caroliiiitni. 

Leaves  4'  to  b'  long,  2'  to  y  broad. 


STORAX   FAMILY 

Calyx. — Obconical,  four-ribbed,  adnate  to  ovary,  four-toothed, 
tomentose. 

C<?r^//^?.— Campanulate,  epigynous,  slightly  four-lobed,  white. 

Stamens. — Eight  to  sixteen,  inserted  on  the  base  of  the  corolla  : 
filaments  flattened  ;  anthers  oblong,  adnate  or  free  at  base,  introrse, 
opening  longitudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  inferior,  four-celled  ;  style  long,  simply  stigmatic 
at  apex. 

Fruit. — Dry,  crowned  with  the  calyx  limb  and  tipped  by  the  per- 
sistent style  ;  ellipsoidal,  four-winged  ;  one  and  a  half  to  two  inches 
long,  an  inch  broad,  ripens  late  and  remains  on  branches  till  mid- 
winter. 


The  Silverbell  is  a  most  beautiful  ornament   for  lawn  or 


park. 


A  native  of  the  mountainous  regions  of  the  south  it 

IS  perfectly  hardy  at  the 
north,  although  in  New 
England  it  keeps  its 
shrubby  form  and  in  the 
middle  west  becomes  only 
a  small  tree.  It  reaches 
its  greatest  size  on  the 
western  slopes  of  the 
mountains  of  North  Caro- 
lina and  Tennessee. 

Its  flowering  time  is  in 
May.  The  flower  buds 
have  been  upon  the 
branches  all  winter  and  just  as  the  leaves  have  fairly  put 
forth,  the  blossoms  appear,  and  clusters  of  drooping  cream- 
white  bells  transform  the  tree  into  one  great  white  mass  of 
which  every  branch,  from  highest  to  lowest,  drips  blossoms. 
The  flowering  period  lasts  about  three  weeks  and  the  Silver- 
bell  is  worthy  to  be  grouped  with  the  June-berry,  the  Dog- 
wood and  the  Redbud  as  a  flowering  tree  of  rare  elegance 
and  beauty. 

The  Snowdrop-tree^  Mohrodciidron  diptenuu^  is  a  closely 
allied  species  which  has  developed  on  the  low  lands  along 
the  southern  coast.     The  two  have  nearly  the  same  range, 

2Q2 


Flowers  of  the  Silverbell-tree,  Mohrodcndion 
carol  ilium. 


SNOWDROP-TREE 


Flowering'  Branch  of  Snowdrop-tree,  Mobrodciidioii  cliplciitr.i. 

Leaves  4'  to  5'  long. 


STORAX   FAMILY 


except  that  one  prefers  the  mountains,  the  other  the  swamps. 
The  Snowdrop  never  becomes  a  large  tree,  thirty  feet  is  its 
maximum  height.  The  leaves  are  ovate,  when  full  grown  are 
four  to  five  inches  long,  three  to  four  inches  wide,  with  very 
conspicuous  veins  and  stout  petioles.  The  flower  is  cream- 
white,  the  corolla  fully  an  inch  long  and  divided  nearly  to 
the  base  into  spreading  divisions  about  as  long  as  the 
stamens,  which  are  usually  eight  in  number.  The  ovary  is 
two-celled  and  like  the  exserted  stigma  coated  with  pale 
tomentum.  The  fruit  is  oblong,  com- 
pressed, one  and  one-half  to  two 
inches  long,  often  an  inch  wide  with 
two  broad  wings  and  sometimes  little, 
narrow,  supplementary  wings  between 
them.  The  fruit  of  the  Silverbell  has 
four  wings,  whence  the  early  specific 
name  tetraptera. 

The  Snowdrop-tree  is  perfectly 
liardy  on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake 
Erie  where  it  forms  a  small  tree  with 
a  beautiful,  low,  broad  head.  In  flower 
and  foliage  and  general  appearance 
the  Silverbell  and  the  Snowdrop  are 
twin  sisters  and  one  is  not  to  be  pre- 
ferred to  the  other. 

The  name  of  the  genus  has  suf- 
fered vicissitudes.  In  the  earlier  bot- 
anies the  generic  name  was  Ha/esia, 
but  that  is  now  displaced  by  Mohrodendron.  Halesia  was  a 
name  given  to  the  genus  in  1759  in  honor  of  Stephen  Hales,  a 
botanist  of  the  eighteenth  century  who  wrote  one  of  the  first 
English  books  upon  vegetable  physiology.  But  it  happened 
that  an  explorer  in  Jamaica  four  years  before  had  given  the 
same  name  to  a  genus  of  tropical  plants.  So  that  two  widely 
different  genera  appeared  in  the  books  as  Halesia.  Such  dup- 
lication of  names  became  in  course  of  time  a  source  of  great 
confusion  in  botanic  nomenclature  and  the  American  Associa- 


Fruh  of  Snowdrop-tree,  Mohro 
dendron   dtpterum. 


204 


SNOWDROP-TREE 

tion  for  the  Advancement  of  vScience  decided,  if  possible,  to 
bring  order  out  of  the  perplexing  situation,  l^vo  rules  were 
established.  One— that  every  plant  should  hereafter  be 
known  by  the  name  under  which  it  was  first  published  to  the 
world,  unless  that  had  already  been  given  to  another  plant ; 
and  the  other— that  no  later  name  should  stand  whether 
the  first  did  or  did  not.  Now  comes  the  result.  The  trop- 
ical Halesia  was  found  to  be  no  genus  at  all  but  only  a  spe- 
cies which  was  soon  referred  to  its  proper  place.  There 
then  remained  but  one  Halesia.  But  here  the  second  rule 
came  in,  and  so  our  pretty  Silverbells  lost  their  generic  name. 
It  was  then  suggested  that  they  should  be  named  Mohrodcn- 
dron  in  honor  of  Dr.  Charles  Mohr,  an  eminent  botanist  of 
Alabama.  The  suggestion  was  accepted  and  so  Stephen 
Hales  was  deposed  and  Dr.  Mohr  reigns  in  his  stead. 


90S 


OLEACE.E— OLIVE  FAMILY 


WHITE   ASH 

Frdximis  americhia. 

A  graceful  tree,  sometimes  one  hundred  feet  in  height  but  usually 
seventy  or  eighty,  with  straight  trunk  three  feet  or  more  in  diameter 
at  the  base.  When  growing  alone  it  produces  a  round-topped  or  a 
pyramidal  head  of  great  beauty.  It  is  distributed  from  Nova  Scotia 
and  Minnesota  to  Florida  and  Texas,  but  attains  its  greatest  size  on 
the  bottom  lands  of  the  lower  Ohio  valley.  Grows  rapidly,  prefers 
rich  moist  soil  and  is  recommended  for  city  planting  in  the  eastern 
states. 

Bark. — Gray,  deeply  furrowed  into  narrow  flattened  ridges,  sur- 
face scaly.  Branchlets  stout,  terete,  at  first  slightly  hairy,  dark 
green,  later  become  pale  orange  or  ashy  gray. 

Wood. — Brown,  sapwood  paler  brown  ;  heavy,  tough,  elastic,  close- 
grained.  Used  in  manufacture  of  furniture,  carriages,  agricultural 
implements,  oars.     Sp.  gr.,  0.6543  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  40.77  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Brown,  nearly  black,  ovate,  obtuse  at  apex.  Ter- 
minal buds  large,  lateral  buds  smaller.  Outer  scales  fall  when  spring 
growth  begins,  inner  scales  enlarge  and  become  green. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  pinnately  compound,  eight  to  twelve  inches 
long.  Leaflets  five  to  nine  ;  three  to  five  inches  long,  one  to  two 
broad,  petiolate,  ovate  or  oblong-lanceolate,  unequally  wedge-shaped 
or  rounded  at  base,, entire,  or  obscurely  serrate,  acuminate  or  acute. 
They  come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate,  thin,  smooth  or  slightly 
hairy;  when  full  grown  are  smooth,  dark  green,  often  shining  above, 
pale,  sometimes  silvery  beneath,  often  hairy  along  the  veins.  Feather- 
veined,  midrib  compressed  above,  primary  veins  conspicuous.  In 
autumn  they  turn  brownish  purple  fading  into  yellow.  Petioles 
stout,  smooth,  grooved,  swollen  at  the  base.  Petiolules  about  one- 
fourth  of  an  inch  long. 

206 


WHITE    ASH 


White  Asli,  traximis  aiiiencaiia. 
Leaves  8'  to  \2'  long.     Leaflets  y  to  5'  long. 


OLIVE    FAMILY 


Flowers. — May,  before  the  leaves;  Dioecious,  borne  in  lengthened 
panicles  near  the  end  of  the  branches,  in  axils  of  last  year's  leaves. 
Pedicels  smooth ;  bracts  varying  in  size  and  form. 

Calyx. — Campanulate  ;  in  staminate  flower  slightly 
four-lobed  ;  in  pistillate  flower  deeply  lobed. 

Corolla. — Wanting. 

Stamens. — Two,  rarely  three  ;  filaments,  short ;  an- 
thers large,  oblong,  reddish  purple. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  two-celled,  oval,  contracted 
into  a  long  slender  style,  with  two  spreading  dark  pur- 
ple stigmatic  lobes. 

Fruit. — Samaras,  borne  in  crowded  drooping  pan- 
icles six  to  eight  inches  long,  these  hang  upon  the  leafless 
branches  until  midwinter.  The  samaras  vary  in  length 
from  one  to  two  inches.  Body  terete,  pointed,  margin- 
less  below,  abruptly  dilated  into  a  lanceolate  or  linear 
wing,  acute  or  emarginate  at  apex.  August,  Septem- 
ber.    Cotyledons  elliptical. 


A  Staminate 
and  a  Pis- 
tillate Flow- 
er of  White 
Ash,  Frax- 
inus  amcri- 
cana  ;  en- 
larged. 


The   White    Ash   is   the 

most  beautiful    of  all  the 

American    species.     Its 

common    name    refers    to 

the  pale  sometimes  silvery 

under  surface  of  the  leaf 

and  its  specific  name  az/ier- 
icana  fully  distinguishes  it  as  the  best 
of  its  type.  Its  fibrous  roots  enable 
it  to  flourish  in  a  soil,  rich  but  shal- 
low, and  oftentimes  it  may  be  seen 
clinging  to  rocks  where  with  diffi- 
culty it  can  obtain  a  foothold.  In 
the  eastern  and  middle  states  it  has 
proved  itself  an  admirable  city  tree, 
but  it  has  not  been  successfully 
planted  in  the  prairie  regions  of  the 
west,  being  unable  to  withstand  the 
severe  droughts  to  which  they  are 
subject. 

In  appearance  the  young  tree  is  singularly  graceful.     The 
slender  grayish   trunk,  the   easy  sweep  of  its  branches,  the 

208 


Samaras   of  White  Ash,  Fraxinus 
■  americana. 


WHITE   ASH 

slightly  droopinor  poise  of  its  leaves,  and  the  soft,  rich,  mellow 
green  of  its  foliage  unite  to  attract  our  admiration.  Its  spray 
is  clumsy  compared  with  that  of  the  beech  and  the  maple. 
Although  the  leaves  are  tufted  at  the  end  of  the  spray,  the 
branches  are  not  bare  ;  on  the  contrary  such  is  the  flowing, 
clinging  effect  of  its  foliage  that  the  tree  may  be  said  in  a 
peculiar  degree  to  be  clothed  with  its  leaves.  The  trunk  rises 
more  than  an  average  height  before  it  divides  and  after  the 
division  still  retains  a  central  shaft,  yet  this  shaft  disappears 
from  sight  as  soon  as  it  enters  the  mass  of  foliage,  and  can- 
not be  traced  through  the  leafy  head. 

The  autumnal  tints  are  most  unusual  and  most  beautiful. 
Wilson  Flagg  in  ''  A  Year  Among  the  Trees  "  writes  concern- 
ing them  :  "  The  colors  of  the  ash  are  quite  unique,  and  dis- 
tinguish it  from  all  other  trees.  Under  favorable  circum- 
stances its  coloring  process  is  nearly  uniform.  It  begins  with 
a  general  impurpling  of  the  whole  mass  of  foliage  nearly  at 
the  same  time  and  the  gradual  changes  remind  me  of  those 
observed  in  sea  mosses  during  the  process  of  bleaching. 
There  is  an  invariable  succession  in  these  tints  as  in  the 
brightening  beams  of  morn.  They  are  first  of  a  dark  bronze, 
turning  from  this  to  a  chocolate,  then  to  a  violet  brown,  and 
finally  to  a  salmon  color  or  yellow  with  a  shade  of  lilac. 
When  the  leaves  are  faded  nearly  yellow,  they  are  ready  to 
drop  from  the  tree.  It  is  remarkable  that  with  all  this  vari- 
ety of  hues  neither  crimson  nor  any  shade  of  scarlet  is  ever 
seen  in  the  ash.  It  ought  to  be  remembered  that  the  grada- 
tions of  autumn  tints  in  all  cases  are  in  the  order  of  those  of 
sunrise,  from  dark  to  lighter  hues,  and  never  the  reverse.  I 
make  no  reference  to  the  browns  of  dead  leaves  which  are 
darker  than  yellow  or  orange,  from  which  they  turn.  I  speak 
only  of  the  changes  of  leaves  before  they  are  seared  or  dry." 

Tw^o  traditions  follow  the  ash  tree.  They  have  come  to 
us  from  Europe  and  their  origin  seems  lost  in  the  mists  of 
antiquity.  One  is  that  no  serpent  w^illingly  glides  beneath 
its  branches  or  rests  under  its  shade.  This  belief  was  old  in 
Pliny's  time,  for  he  states  as  a  fact  that  if  a  serpent  be  placed 

209 


OLIVE   FAMILY 


Trunk  of  White  Ash,  Fraxmus  americana. 


WHITE   ASH 

near  a  fire  and  both  surrounded  by  ashen  twigs,  the  serpent 
will  sooner  run  into  the  fire  than  pass  over  the  pieces  of  ash  ; 
all  of  which  is  important  if  true.  The  other,  refers  to  the 
peculiar  liability  of  the  ash  to  be  struck  by  lightning,  and  this 
belief  is  embalmed  in  ancient  folk-lore  rhymes. 

The  rustic  laborer  at  the  approach  of  a  thunder-storm  is 
admonished. 

Beware  the  oak  it  draws  the  stroke, 

Avoid  the  ash  it  courts  the  flash, 

Creep  under  the  thorn  it  will  save  you  from  harm. 

Indeed,  the  oak  and  ash  are  frequently  associated  in  coun- 
try proverbs  and  rural  lore. 

If  the  oak  is  out  before  the  ash, 
'Twill  be  a  summer  of  wet  and  splash  ; 

But  if  the  ash  is  before  the  oak 
Twill  be  a  summer  of  fire  and  smoke. 

The  wood  of  all  the  ashes  is  singularly  light,  strong  and 
elastic.  Prehistoric  man  seeking  an  available  weapon  found 
it  in  an  ashen  club.  Achilles  fought  with  an  ashen  spear. 
Cupid  made  his  arrows  first  of  the  ash.  The  North  Ameri- 
can Indian  could  find  no  better  w^ood  in  the  forest  for  his 
bow  or  his  paddle  than  the  ash.  It  is  the  wood  most  exten- 
sively used  in  the  manufacture  of  agricultural  implements. 

The  tree  has  many  insect  enemies.  All  the  species  can  be 
easily  raised  from  seed,  w^hich  sometimes  does  not  germi- 
nate until  the  second  year.  Varieties  can  be  multiplied  by 
grafting. 

Fraxinus  is  of  wade  distribution  and  ancient  type.  A 
tree  of  the  temperate  zone  it  occurs  in  Europe,  Asia  and 
Africa  and  except  in  the  extreme  north  is  found  in  all  parts 
of  North  America.  Its  fossil  remains  prove  it  to  have  been 
abundant  in  the  tertiary  period  within  the  arctic  circle. 


211 


OLIVE    FAMILY 


RED    ASH 

Frdxiuus  pemisylvdnica.     Frdxinns  pubc'sccns. 

A  comparatively  small  tree,  averaging  forty  feet  high  with  stout 
upright  branches  and  irregular  head.  Ranges  from  New  Brunswick 
to  Florida,  westward  to  Dakota,  Nebraska  and  Kansas. 


Bark. — Brown  or  ashy  gray  with  numerous  longitudinal  shallow 
furrows,  surface  scaly.  Branchlets  slender,  terete,  at  first  velvety- 
downy,  finally  they  become  ashy  gray  or  light  brown,  frequently 
covered  with  bloom.  Inner  face  of  outer  bark  of  the  branches  red 
or  cinnamon  color. 

Wood. — Light  brown  with  lighter  sapwood.  Heavy,  hard,  strong 
and  coarse-grained.     Sp.  gr.,  0.71 17;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  44.35  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Leaf-buds  small,  acute,  downy,  dark  rusty  brown. 
Outer  scales  fall  when  spring  growth  begins.  The  inner  scales  en- 
large, become  green  and  often  leaf-like. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  pinnately  compound,  ten  to  twelve 
inches  long.  Leaflets  seven  to  nine,  petiolate,  three  to 
five  inches  long,  one  to  one  and  a  half  wide,  oblong- 
lanceolate  to  ovate,  unequally  wedge-shaped  at  base, 
serrate,  sometimes  entire,  acuminate  or  acute.  They 
come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate,  coated  beneath  with 
thick  white  tomentum,  shining  and  hairy  above ;  when 
full  grown  are  firm,  yellow  green  above,  pale  and  vel- 
vety-downy beneath.  Feather-veined,  midrib  and  pri- 
mary veins  conspicuous.  In  autumn  they  turn  rusty 
brown  fading  into  yellow.  Petioles  swollen  at  base, 
grooved,  hairy.  Petiolules  thick,  grooved,  downy,  about 
one-fourth  of  an  inch  long. 

Flowers. — May,  with  the  leaves.  Dioecious,  borne  in 
compact,  downy,  bracteate  panicles,  which  appear  from 
the  axils  of  last  year's  leaves. 

Calyx. — In  staminate  flowers  cup-shaped,  obscurely 
toothed.  In  pistillate  flowers  cup-shaped,  deeply  di- 
vided. 

Corolla. — Wanting. 

Stamens. — Two,  sometimes  three  ;  anthers  linear- 
oblong,  pale  greenish  purple  ;  filaments  short. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  two-celled,  contracted  into  a 
lengthened  style,  divided  at  apex  into  two  green  stig- 
matic  lobes.     Ovules  two  in  each  cell. 
Samaras,  borne  in  open   panicles  which  remain  on  the 
branches  throughout  winter.     One  to  two  inches  long  ;  body  slender, 
terete,  half  surrounded  by  a  thin  wing,  rounded  or  acute  at  the  apex. 

212 


A  Staminate 
and  a  Pis- 
tillate Flow- 
er of  Red 
Ash,  Frax- 
iniis  penn- 
sylvanica  ; 
enlarged. 

Fruit.— 


RED    ASH 


Red  Ash,  hraxiims  pc'niisj-lvanica. 
Leaves  ic/  to  12'  long.     Leaflets  3'  to  5'  long. 


OLIVE   FAMILY 


In  general  appearance  the  Red  and  the  White  Ash  strongly 
resemble  each  other.  But  the  Red  Ash  is  downy  on  branch- 
let  and  leaf  and  petiole  while  the 
White  Ash  is  in  the  main  smooth. 
Its  specific  name  pennsylvanica  em- 
phasizes the  fact  that  it  is  a  tree  of 
the  North  Atlantic  states  and  grows 
best  east  of  the  Alleghany  Moun- 
tains. It  approaches  the  Black  Ash 
in  its  preference  for  rich,  low,  moist 
soils,  the  banks  of  streams  and  the 
shores  of  lakes,  but  unlike  it,  will 
grow  in  dry  localities.  The  wood  is 
not  so  valuable  as  that  of  the  White 
Ash,  being  brittle  instead  of  elastic. 
The  Green  Ash,  F.  la/iceolata, 
which  is  now  considered  a  variety 
of  the  Red  Ash,  may  be  distinguished  from  it  by  its  dark 
and  lustrous  foliage,  by  the  smoothness  of  its  leaves  and 
branchlets  and  the  bright  green  both  of  the  upper  and  lower 
surface  of  the  leaves.  In  New  England  there  are  marked 
differences,  but  west  of  the  Mississippi  the  two  are  connected 
by  intermediate  forms  which  blend  them  together. 

The  Green  Ash  is  recommended  for  parks,  streets,  and 
shelter  belts  in  the  western  states,  largely  because  of  its  abil- 
ity to  flourish  in  regions  of  small  and  uncertain  rainfall. 


Samaras  of  Red  Ash,  Fraxiiius 
pciiiisylvainca. 


BLUE   ASH 


Frdxiniis  qtiadj-angulhta. 

A  tall  slender  tree,  sometimes  one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  in 
height  with  a  trunk  two  or  three  feet  in  diameter,  usually  much  small- 
er. Native  of  the  Mississippi  valley,  nowhere  very  abundant,  prefers 
lime-stone  soils. 

Bark. — Light  gray  tinged  with  red,  irregularly  fissured.  Branch- 
lets,  stout,  four-angled,  more  or  less  four-winged,  at  first  orange 
color  with  rusty  pubescence,  later  they  become  light  brown  or  ashy 
gray  and  gradually  terete. 

214 


GREEN  ASH 


Green  Ash,  Fraxiuiis  laitccoLUa. 

Leaves  8'  to   12'  long.     Leaflets  3'  to  5'  long. 


OLIVE    FAMILY 


Wood. — Light  yellow  streaked  with  brown,  sapwood  a  lighter  yel- 
low ;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained.  Sp.  gr.,  0.7184;  weight  of  cu.  ft., 
44.77  lbs. 

Whiter  Buds. — Terminal  bud  one-fourth  inch  long  ;  outer  scales 
fall  when  spring  growth  begins,  inner  scales  enlarge  and  become 
green. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  compound,  unequally  pinnate,  eight  to  twelve 
inches  long  ;  leaflets  five  to  nine,  petiolate,  three  to  five  inches  long, 
one  to  two  inches  broad,  ovate-oblong,  unequally  round- 
ed or  wedge-shaped  at  base,  serrate,  acuminate.  They 
come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate,  coated  with  brown 
tomentum,  when  full  grown  are  thick,  dark  green  and 
shining  above,  pale,  smooth  or  hairy  beneath  ;  in  au- 
tumn they  turn  from  brown  and  purple  to  yellow. 
Petiolules  short  and  grooved. 

Flowers. — April,  before  the  leaves.  Perfect,  borne  in 
loose  panicles  developed  from  buds  formed  in  the  axils 
of  leaves  of  the  previous  year. 

Calyx. — Reduced  to  a  ring. 

Corolla. — Wanting. 

Sta7)iens. — Two,  nearly  sessile  ;  anthers  dark  purple,  oblong,  ob- 
tuse, introrse,  two-celled  ;  cells  opening  longitudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  two-celled  ;  style 
short  with  two,  pale  purple,  stigmatic  lobes. 
Ovules  two  in  each  cell 

Fruit. — Samaras,  borne  in  panicles,  lin- 
ear-oblong, one  to  two  inches  long,  one-fourth 
to  one  inch  wide  ;  the  broad  wing  surrounding 
the  long  flat  body,  emarginate,  many-rayed. 
September,  October.     Cotyledons  elliptical. 


The  Blue  Ash  belongs  to  that  group 
of  trees  native  to  the  valley  of  the  Miss- 
issippi. Its  habitat  extends  from  south- 
ern Michigan  to  central  Missouri  and 
southward  to  eastern  Tennessee  and 
northern  Alabama  and  through  Iowa 
and  Missouri  to  northeastern  Arkansas. 
Some  trees  like  the  Rhododendron  re- 
fuse to  grow  upon  limestone  ;  the  Blue  Ash  prefers  it.  Its 
chosen  locations  are  rich  limestone  hills,  but  it  will  flourish 
in  fertile  bottom  lands. 

It  may  be  distinguished  among  ashes  by  its  peculiar  stout, 

216 


Samaras  of  Blue  Ash,  Fra 
inns  quadrangulata. 


BLUE   ASH 


Blue  Ash,  FraxiiiKs  qiiadraugitlata. 

Leaves  8'  to   12'  long.     Leaflets  3'  to  5'  long. 


OLIVE    FAMILY 

four-angied  and  four-winged  branchiets.  Its  samaras  resem- 
ble those  of  the  Black  Ash,  in  that  the  broad  wing  wholly 
surrounds  the  long  flat  body.  Its  wood  has  the  qualities  of 
the  other  ashes  and  probably  is  not  distinguished  commer- 
cially from  them.  The  tree  is  recommended  for  park  plant- 
ing as  it  is  hardy  and  grows  rapidly,  and  its  foliage  is  a  rich, 
dark,  shining  green. 

The  inner  bark  yields  a  blue  color  to  water,  whence  its 
common  name. 

BLACK  ASH 

Frdxinus  nigra.     Frdxiints  sariibucifoUa. 

A  tall,  slender  tree,  with  narrow  head  of  slender  upright  branches. 
Loves  deep  cold  swamps  and  muddy  banks  of  streams.  Is  distrib- 
uted from  Newfoundland  to  Manitoba,  southward  to  Delaware  and 
Virginia. 

Bark. — Granite  gray,  fissured,  surface  scaly.  Branchiets  stout, 
terete,  dark  green  at  first,  later  ashy  gray  or  yellowish,  finally  dark 
gray. 

Wood. — Dark  brown,  sapwood  light  brown  or  white  ;  heavy, 
rather  soft,  tough,  coarse-grained.  Used  for  barrel  hoops,  baskets, 
cabinetwork  and  interior  of  houses.  Sp.  gr.,  0.6318  ;  weight  of  cu. 
ft.,  39.37  lbs. 

Whiter  Buds. — Dark,  almost  black,  ovate,  acute  at  apex  ;  outer 
scales  fall  when  spring  growth  begins,  inner  scales  enlarge  and  be 
come  green. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  pinnately  compound,  twelve  to  sixteen  inches 
long.  Leaflets  seven  to  eleven,  sessile  except  the  terminal,  oblong 
or  oblong-lanceolate,  three  to  five  inches  long,  one  to  two  inches 
wide,  unequally  wedge-shaped  or  rounded  at  base,  slightly  serrate, 
acute  or  acuminate.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate, 
downy  with  rusty  hairs,  when  full  grown  dark  green,  smooth  above, 
paler  beneath  and  smooth,  except  the  midrib  which  is  hairy.  Feather- 
veined,  midrib  and  primary  veins  conspicuous.  In  autumn  they 
turn  rusty  brown  and  fall  early.  Petioles  smooth,  swollen  at  base, 
flattened  or  grooved. 

Flowers. — May,  before  the  leaves.  Polygamous,  without  calyx  or 
corolla.  Borne  in  lengthened  panicles  four  or  five  inches  long  which 
are  opposite,  single  or  in  threes,  in  the  axils  of  last  year's  leaves, 
many-bracted.  Staminate  flowers  are  borne  on  separate  trees  or 
mixed  with  perfect  flowers  on  trees  which  produce  pistillate  ones, 

218 


BLACK   ASH 


Black   Ash,  Fmxiims  nigra. 

Leaves  12'  to  16'  long.     Leaflets  3'  to  5'  lon^ 


OLIVE   FAMILY 


A  Staminate  and  a  Pis- 
tillate Flower  of 
Black  Ash,  Fraxiniis 
nigra  :  enlarged. 


Stamens. — Two,  anthers  large,  oblong,  dark  purple,  attached  to 
the  back  of  short  filaments. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  two-celled,  narrowed 
into  a  long  slender  style,  deeply  divided  at  the 
apex  into  two  broad,  purple  stigmas.  Ovules  two 
in  each  cell. 

F7'7iit. — Samaras,  borne  in  panicles.  Oblong- 
linear,  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  long.  Body 
surrounded  by  the  wing,  which  is  emarginate  at 
apex.  Seed  solitary  by  abortion.  September, 
October.     Cotyledons  elliptical. 

The  Black  Ash  is  the  slenderest  of  our 
forest  trees,  often  reaching  the  height  of 
seventy  feet  with  a  trunk  whose  diameter 
scarcely  exceeds  a  foot.  It  is  the  most 
northern  of  American  ashes  flourishing  on 
the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  St.  Lawrence. 

Its  inflorescence  is  polygamous,  that  is, 
staminate,  pistillate,  and  perfect  flowers  may 
all  be  found  on  a  single  tree,  although  usual- 
ly the  staminate  flowers  are  borne  on  a  sep- 
arate tree.  In  this  species  the  flower  is  reduced  to  its  lowest 
terms.  Both  calyx  and  corolla  are  wanting. 
Many  flowers  consist  simply  of  two  stamens 
sitting  on  the  top  of  the  flower  stem,  others 
are  only  a  pistil. 

The  Black  Ash  may  be  known  among 
other  ashes  by  the  fact  that  its  leaflets  are 
sessile  with  the  exception  of  the  terminal 
one.  Its  samaras  differ  from  those  of  the 
White  Ash  in  that  the  wing  entirely  sur- 
rounds the  body.  The  taste  of  the  seed  is 
aromatic. 

The  wood  is  remarkable  for  its  toughness 
and  elasticity.  The  Indians  especially  used 
it  in  the  manufacture  of  baskets,  preferring 
it  to  every  other.  The  trunk  is  often  disfig- 
ured by  knobs  which  are  sometimes  taken  off  and  made  into 
bowls  which  when   polished   show   very  odd  undulations  of 

220 


Samaras  of  Black  Ash, 
Fraxinus  nigra. 


BLACK   ASH 

fibre.  The  Black  Ash  does  not  transplant  well  and  will 
flourish  only  in  swampy  places.  It  is  considered  a  tree  of 
slow  orowth  and  is  short-lived. 


YGGDRASII.,    THE    TREE    OF    THE    UNIVERSE 

It  is  not  within  the  scope  of  this  volume  to  enter  into  any 
extended  discussion  of  the  curious  myths  and  traditions  that 
among  many  nations  gravely  ascribe  the  descent  of  the  hu- 
man race  from  trees.  The  mystical  "  tree  of  life  "  was  the 
date  palm,  the  fig,  the  pine,  the  cedar,  the  oak,  the  elm,  the 
ash — varying  with  the  country  and  the  vegetation. 

Virgil  in  the  "^Eneid,"  Book  VIII.,  says  : 

These  woods  were  first  the  seat  of  sylvan  powers, 
Of  nymphs  and  fauns  and  savage  men  who  took 
Their  birth  from  trunks  of  trees  and  stubborn  oaks. 

Juvenal  in  the  Sixth  Satire  tells  us  : 

For  when  the  world  was  new  the  race  that  broke 

Unfathered,  from  the  soil  or  opening  oak, 
Lived  most  unlike  the  men  of  later  times. 

In  the  ^'  Odyssey,"  the  disguised  hero  is  asked  to  state  his 
pedigree,  since  he  must  necessarily  have  had  one.  ''  For,"  says 
his  questioner,  *'4jelike  you  are  not  come  of  the  oak,  told  of 
in  old  times,  nor  of  the  rock." 

The  most  remarkable  of  all  these  fables  and  the  best 
known  is  that  of  the  Tree  of  the  Universe,  in  the  Norse 
mythology,  around  which  have  clustered  as  many  theories  as 
legends  without  any  definite  solution  of  the  subject. 

Yggdrasil,  the  Tree  of  the  Universe,  is  generally  conceded 
to  have  been  an  ash  tree.  In  the  old  legend  it  springs  from 
the  body  of  Ymir  the  earth,  its  trunk  rises  to  the  sky,  its 
branches  overshadow  the  earth  and  support  the  heavens. 
Three  roots  sustain  and  nourish  this  mighty  tree.  One  ex- 
tends into  Asgard  the  home  of  the  Gods  ;  beneath  it  bubbles 
a  fountain  with  whose  waters  the  tree  is  sprinkled.     By  its 

221 


OLIVE    FAMILY 

side  is  a  hall  where  dwell  three  maidens,  Norns — Urd  the 
past,  Verdandi  the  present,  Skuld  the  future — the  Scandina- 
vian Fates  who  direct  and  sway  the  destinies  of  men. 

The  second  root  reaches  Jotunheim  the  abode  of  the 
Giants  and  by  its  side  is  Mimir's  spring  within  whose  depths 
wit  and  knowledge  lie  hidden  ;  the  third  strikes  deep  into 
Niflheim  the  region  of  darkness  and  cold.  The  spring  here 
feeds  the  serpent  Nithhoggr,  Darkness,  which  perpetually 
gnaws  at  the  root. 

The  leaves  of  the  tree  drop  honey,  and  upon  the  topmost 
branch  sits  an  eagle  who  observes  all  that  goes  on  in  the 
world.  A  squirrel,  Ratatoskr,  runs  up  and  down  along  the 
trunk  and  branches  bearing  messages  between  the  eagle 
and  the  serpent  and  stirring  up  strife  between  them.  Four 
stags  run  back  and  forth  among  the  branches  and  bite  the 
buds  ;  these  are  the  four  winds. 

Such  is  the  fantastic  story  of  the  ash  tree,  for  which  there 
is  neither  explanation  nor  reasonable  interpretation. 

FRINGE-TREE 

Ch  ion  (in  th  lis  virgin  ica . 

ChionanthHs  is  of  Greek  derivation  and  refers  to  the  snow  white 
flowers  of  the  species. 

A  slender  tree  twenty  or  thirty  feet  high  ;  at  the  north  a  shrub  of 
several,  thick,  spreading  stems.  Commonly  planted  on  lawns  and 
parks.  Ornamental.  Roots  fibrous.  Ranges  from  Pennsylvania 
to  Florida,  westward  through  the  Gulf  states  to  Texas,  Arkansas  and 
Kansas. 

Bark. — Brown,  tinged  with  red,  scaly.  Branchlets  terete,  light 
green,  downy,  at  first;  later  they  become  light  brown  or  orange 
color. 

Wood.—\J\'^\  brown,  sapwood  paler  brown;  heavy,  hard,  close- 
grained. 

Winter  Buds. — Light  brown,  ovate,  acute,  one -eighth  of  an  inch 
long.  Outer  scales  fall  when  spring  growth  begins,  inner  scales  en- 
large with  the  growing  shoot  and  become  leaf-like,  an  inch  or  more 
in  length. 

222 


FRINGE-TREE 


Floweiini;-  Branch  ui  Frini,^e-tree,   Cb/oi/ai/fb/is   l^irgmua. 
Leaves  4'  to  8'  long,   i'  to  4'  broad. 


OLIVE   FAMILY 


Leaves. — Opposite,  simple,  ovate  or  oblong,  four  to  eight  inches 
long,  one  to  four  inches  broad,  wedge-shaped  at  base,  entire  with 
undulate  margins,  acuminate,  acute  or  rounded  at  apex.  Feather- 
veined,  midrib  stout,  primary  veins  conspicuous.  They  come  out 
of  the  bud  conduplicate,  yellow  green  and  shining  above,  downy 
beneath  ;  when  full  grown  are  dark  green  above,  pale  below  and 
smooth  except  the  midrib  and  veins  which  are  hairy.  In  autumn 
they  turn  a  clear  yellow  and  fall  early.     Petiole  stout,  hairy. 

Flowers. — May,  June  ;  when  leaves  are  one-third  grown.  Perfect, 
white,  slightly  fragrant,  borne  in  loose,  downy,  drooping,  bracted 
panicles,  four  to  six  inches  long,  from  lateral  buds  ;  peduncles  three- 
flowered. 

Calyx. — Four-parted,  small,  smooth,  persistent. 

Corolla. — An  inch  long,  white,  dotted 
on  inner  surface  with  purple  spots, 
deeply  divided  into  four,  varying  to  five 
and  six,  long  and  narrow  lobes  barely 
united  at  base  ;  conduplicate,  valvate 
in  bud. 

Stamefis. — Two,  inserted  on  the  base 

of  the  corolla,  extrorse  ;  filaments  short ; 

anthers  pale  yellow,  ovate,  two-celled. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  two-celled  ; 

style  short ;  stigma  fleshy,  two-lobed. 

Fruit. — Drupe,  borne  in  loose  clus- 
ters, on  which  the  bracts  have  become 
leaf-like.  Oval  or  oblong,  dark  blue, 
glaucous,  one-half  to  three-fourths  of  an 
inch  long,  surrounded  at  base  by  the 
persistent  calyx  and  tipped  with  rem- 
Fringe-tree,  Chioiuwthin  virginica.  nants  of  the  Style.  Skin  thick  ;  flesh 
Drupes  H'  to  %'  long.  dry  ;  stone  thin. 


The  Fringe-tree  is  one  of  the  most  bectutiful  of  our  orna- 
mental shrubs  and  although  a  native  of  the  south  it  is  hardy 
at  the  north  and  is  extensively  planted.  It  prefers  a  moist 
soil  and  a  sheltered  situation  and  may  be  propagated  by 
grafting  on  the  ash. 

The  singular  appearance  of  its  snow  white  flowers  which 
look  like  a  fringe,  give  to  it  the  common  name.  These 
flowers  appear  abundantly  when  the  leaves  are  half  grown 
and  the  foliage  mass  becomes  a  combination  of  soft  green 
and  pure  white,  which  is  most  beautiful. 


224 


BIGNONIACE^— BIGNONIA   FAMILY 

CATALPA.     INDIAN    BEAN 

Catdlpa    Catdlpa.      Catdlpa  bigtioiioldes. 

A  tree  with  a  short  thick  trunk,  long  and  stragghng  branches 
which  form  a  broad  and  irregular  head.  Loves  river  banks  and 
moist  shady  places.  Roots  fibrous,  branches  brittle.  Its  juices  are 
watery  and  contain  a  bitter  principle. 

Bark. — Light  brown  tinged  with  red.  Branchlets  forking  regu- 
larly by  pairs,  at  first  green,  shaded  with  purple  and  slightly  hairy, 
later  gray  or  yellowish  brown,  finally  reddish  brown.  Contains 
tannin. 

Wood. — Light  brown,  sapwood  nearly  white  ;  light,  soft,  coarse- 
grained and  durable  in  contact  with  the  soil. 

Winter  Buds. — No  terminal  bud,  uppermost  bud  is  axillary. 
Minute,  globular,  deep  in  the  bark.  Outer  scales  fall  when  spring 
growth  begins,  inner  scales  enlarge  with  the  growing  shoot,  become 
green,  hairy  and  sometimes  two  inches  long. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  or  in  threes,  simple,  six  to  ten  inches  long, 
four  to  five  broad.  Broadly  ovate,  cordate  at  base,  entire,  some- 
times wavy,  acute  or  acuminate.  Feather-veined,  midrib  and  prima- 
ry veins  prominent.  Clusters  of  dark  glands,  which  secrete  nectar 
are  found  in  the  axils  of  the  primary  veins.  They  come  out  of  the 
bud  involute,  purplish,  when  full  grown  are  bright  green,  smooth 
above,  pale  green,  and  downy  beneath.  When  bruised  they  give  a 
disagreeable  odor.  They  turn  dark  and  fall  after  the  first  severe 
frost.     Petioles  stout,  terete,  long. 

Flowers. — June,  July.  Perfect,  white,  borne  in  many-flowered 
thyrsoid  panicles,  eight  to  ten  inches  long.  Pedicels  slender, 
downy. 

Gz/y jr.— Globular  and  pointed  in  the  bud;  finally  splitting  into 
two,  broadly  ovate,  entire  lobes,  green  or  light  purple. 

225 


BIGNONIA   FAMILY 

Corolla. — Campanulate,  tube  swollen,  slightly  oblique,  two-lipped, 
five-lobed,  the  two  lobes  above  smaller  than  the  three  below,  im- 
bricate in  bud  ;  limb  spreading,  undulate,  when  fully  expanded  is 
an  inch  and  a  half  wide  and  nearly  two  inches  long,  white,  marked 
on  the  inner  surface  with  two  rows  of  yellow  blotches  and  in  the 
throat  on  the  lower  lobes  with  purple  spots. 

Sta?nens.  — Two,  rarely  four,  inserted  near  the  base  of  the  corolla, 
introrse,  slightly  exserted  ;  anthers  oblong,  two-celled,  opening 
longitudinally ;  filaments  flattened,  thread-like.  Sterile  filaments 
three,  inserted  near  base  of  corolla,  often  rudimentary. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  two -celled  ;  style  long,  thread-like,  with 
a  two -lipped  stigma.     Ovules  numerous. 

Fruit. — Long  slender  capsule,  nearly  cylindrical,  two-celled, 
partition  at  right  angles  to  the  valves,  Six  to  twenty  inches  long, 
brown  ;  hangs  on  the  tree  all  winter,  splitting  before  it  falls.  Seeds 
an  inch  long,  one-fourth  of  an  inch  wide,  silvery  gray,  winged  on 
each  side  and  ends  of  wings  fringed. 

The  Catalpa  shares  with  the  Horse-chestnut  the  distinc- 
tion of  bearing  the  most  showy  flowers  of  all  our  ornamental 
trees.  Its  value  in  this  respect  has  long  been  recognized 
and  to-day  it  holds  an  assured  place  in  the  parks  and  gardens 
of  all  temperate  countries. 

In  the  northern  states  it  is  a  late  bloomer,  putting  forth 
great  panicles  of  white  flowers  the  last  of  June  or  early  in 
July  when  the  flowers  of  other  trees  have  mostly  faded. 
These  cover  the  tree  so  thickly  as  almost  to  conceal  the 
full  grown  leaves.  The  general  effect  of  the  flower  cluster  is 
a  pure  white,  but  the  individual  corolla  is  spotted  w^ith  purple 
and  gold,  and  some  of  these  spots  are  arranged  in  lines  along 
a  ridge,  so  as  to  lead  directly  to  the  honey  sweets  within.  A 
single  flower  when  fully  expanded  is  two  inches  long  and  an 
inch  and  a  half  wdde.  It  is  two-lipped  and  the  lips  are  lobed, 
two  lobes  above  and  three  below,  as  is  not  uncommon  with 
such  corollas.  The  flower  is  perfect,  possessing  both  stamens 
and  pistils  ;  nevertheless,  the  law  of  elimination  is  at  work  and 
of  the  five  stamens  that  we  should  expect  to  find,  three  have 
aborted,  ceased  to  bear  anthers  and  have  become  filaments 
simply.  Then,  too,  the  flowers  refuse  to  be  self-fertilized. 
Each  flower  has  its  own  stamens  and  its  owm  stigma  and  the 
natural  conclusion  is  that  the  home  pollen  should  fall  upon 

226 


CATALPA 


Flowering  Spray  of  Catalpa. 

Leaves  d'  to  lo'  long,  a,'  to  6^  broad. 


BIGNONIA    FAMILY 

the  stigQia.  But  this  is  not  the  case.  The  lobes  of  the 
stigma  remain  resolutely  closed  until  after  the  anthers  have 
opened  and  discharged  their  pollen  ;  after  they  have  withered 
and  become  effete  then  the  stigma  opens  and  invites  the 
wandering  bee.  There  is  nothing  more  curious  in  the  entire 
field  of  biology  than  this  refusal  of  self-fertilization  on  the 
part  of  so  many  flowers.  The  entire  Pink  family  behave  in 
this  way. 

The  leaves  appear  rather  late,  are  large,  heart-shaped, 
bright  green  and  as  they  are  full  grown  before  the  flower 
clusters  open,  add  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  blossoming 
tree.  They  secrete  nectar,  a  most  unusual  proceeding  for 
leaves,  by  means  of  groups  of  tiny  glands  in  the  axils  of  the 
primary  veins. 

The  fruit  is  a  long,  slender  pod  packed  full  of  light  silvery 
seeds,  each  provided  with  a  pair  of  pretty  fringed  wings  to 
bear  it  afloat  by  wind  or  water  in  search  of  a  home.  These 
pods  hang  pendent  upon  the  branches  for  the  greater  part  of 
the  winter,  sometimes  far  into  the  spring. 

The  Catalpa  is  undoubtedly  a  southern  tree.  It  seems  that 
Europeans  first  observed  it  growing  in  the  fields  of  the  Cher- 
okee Indians,  by  whom  it  was  called  Catalpa.  But  its  vital- 
ity enables  it  to  flourish  at  the  north  and  the  land  of  its 
nativity  is  somewhat  in  doubt.  The  tree  is  fairly  free  from 
fungal  diseases  and  has  few  insect  enemies.  It  is  easily 
raised  from  seeds  which  germinate  early  in  the  first  season. 
It  also  multiplies  readily  from  cuttings. 

Catalapa  speciosa  is  a  western  species  that  has  come  into 
notice  later  than  C.  catalpa  ;  it  is  largely  planted  throughout 
the  same  range  and  is  quite  as  satisfactory  a  tree  for  lawns 
and  parks.  The  difference  between  them  is  very  slight,  and  it 
may  be  that  C.  speciosa  will  some  day  be  considered  simply  a 
variety  of  the  other. 

The  genus  is  now  found  only  in  the  United  States,  West 
Indies  and  China.  It  was  common  in  Europe  during  the 
tertiary  period  and  its  fossil  remains  have  been  discovered 
in  the  miocene  rocks  of  the  Yellowstone. 

228 


LAURACE.^— LAUREL   FAMILY 


SASSAFRAS 

Sassafras  sassafras. 

Usually  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet  high,  sometimes  one  hundred, 
with  a  stout  trunk  and  flat-topped  head  ;  often  much  smaller  and 
shrubby.  Thick  fleshy  roots  penetrate  deep  into  the  ground  and 
send  out  abundance  of  suckers,  making  thickets.  Prefers  rich  sandy 
loam.  Grows  rapidly.  Ranges  from  Massachusetts  to  Florida  and 
west  throughout  the  Mississippi  valley. 

Bark.—i:\nc]>L,  dark,  red  brown,  deeply  and  irregularly  divided  into 
broad  flat  ridges,  separating  into  thick  appressed  scales  on  the  sur- 
face. Branchlets  bright  yellow  green,  finally  reddish  brown,  and  in 
two  or  three  years  begin  to  show  shallow  fissures.  Aromatic  and 
spicy.     Twigs  mucilaginous. 

Wood. — Dull  orange  brown  ;  soft,  weak,  coarse-grained,  brittle, 
though  durable  in  contact  with  the  soil.  Used  for  posts  and  rails, 
small  boats  and  ox-yokes. 

Winter  Buds. — Flower-buds  terminal,  ovate,  acute  ;  axillary  buds 
small.  The  scales  enlarge  with  the  growing  shoot,  the  inner  be- 
coming leaf-like  before  falling. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  ovate  or  obovate,  four  to  six  inches  long,  en- 
tire or  one  to  three-lobed,  lobes  broadly  ovate,  divided  by  broad 
sinuses  ;  margins  entire.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  involute,  red- 
dish green ;  when  full  grown  are  smooth,  dull  dark  green  above, 
paler  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  to  shades  of  yellow,  tinged 
with  red.     Petioles  slender,  slightly  grooved. 

Flowers. — May,  with  the  first  unfolding  of  the  leaves.  Dioecious, 
rarely  perfect,  greenish  yellow,  borne  in  loose,  drooping,  few- 
flowered  racemes  ;  involucre  of  scaly  bracts. 

Calyx. — Pale  yellow  green,  six-lobed,  spreading,  imbricate  in 
bud. 

Corolla. — Wanting. 

229 


LAUREL   FAMILY 


Stamens. — In  sterile  flowers  nine,  inserted  on  the  base  of  the 
calyx  in  three  rows,  the  inner  row  with  a  pair  of  conspicuous  glands 
at  the  base  of  each ;  fertile  flowers  have  six  short  rudimentary 
stamens.  Anthers  innate,  oblong,  four-celled,  opening  by  four  up- 
lifting valves. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  nearly  sessile  in  the  tube  of  the  calyx, 
simple,  one-celled  ;  style  one  ;  ovule  one,  suspended  from  the  apex 
of  the  cell. 

Fruit. — Drupe,  oblong,  dark  blue,  shining,  surrounded  at  the 
base  by  the  enlarged  and  thickened  scarlet  calyx  raised  on  a  club- 
shaped  rather  fleshy  pedicel.     Cotyledons  thick,  fleshy. 

The  Sassafras  often  grows  in  dense  thickets.  A  single  tree, 
if  allowed  to  spread  unrestrained,  will  soon  be  surrounded 
by  a  numerous  and  flourishing  family,  as  its  stoloniferous 
roots  extend  in  every  direction  and  send  up  multitudes  of 
shoots.  When  full  grown  it  is  rather  picturesque,  as  its 
branches  are  usually  irregular  and  the  head  partially  flattened, 
It  has  the  peculiarity  of  looking  older  than  it  really  is  because 
of  its  rough,  deeply  furrowed,  gray  bark  and  rather  warped 
stem.  This  cracking  of  the  bark  is  characteristic,  it  begins 
on  stems  two  or  three  years  old,  and  continues  through  life. 

A  peculiar  foliage  marks  the  tree 
in  every  situation,  for  it  enjoys  the 
distinction  of  bearing  leaves  of  three 
different  forms  on  the  same  branch  ; 
a  distinction  among  our  common  de- 
ciduous trees  shared  only  with  the 
Mulberry.  Those  leaves  are  oval,  or 
oval  with  a  lobe  at  one  side  making 
what  are  called  "  mittens,"  or  regu- 
larly three-lobed.  There  seems  to  be 
no  known  law  which  determines  the 
order  of  their  appearance,  but  the 
mature  tree  bears  more  oval  leaves 
than  lobed  ones. 
The  Sassafras  will  grow  in  any  loose  moist  soil,  and  es- 
pecially delights  in  neglected  and  abandoned  fields. 

The  fruit  is  a  beautiful,  dark  blue,  shining  berry  set  on  a 
bright  red,  club-shaped,  fleshy  stem.     The  birds  love  it  and 

230 


Fruit  of  the  Sassafras. 


SASSAFRAS 


Sassafras. 

Leaves  4'  to  6'  long. 


SASSAFRAS 

so  eager  are  they  that  it  is  often  years  before  one  succeeds 
in  obtaining  a  perfectly  mature  specimen.  Wings  outclass 
hands  when  the  top  of  a  tree  is  in  question. 

The  wood,  bark,  and  roots  are  all  aromatic.  The  flavor 
resides  in  an  essential  oil  which  is  especially  abundant  in 
the  bark  of  the  root.  At  one  time  Sassafras  enjoyed  a  great 
reputation  in  the  Materia  ??iedica,  but  it  is  now  valued  chiefly 
for  its  power  to  improve  the  flavor  of  other  medicines. 

Sassafras  is  now  native  only  to  eastern  North  America. 
Its  remains  are  found  in  the  arctic  regions  and  traces  of  it 
appear  in  the  cretaceous  rocks  of  the  extreme  west,  it  also 
formerly  existed  in  Europe. 


.?32 


ULMACEyE— ELM    FAMILY 

WHITE    ELM.     AMERICAN   ELM.     WATER   ELM 

Ulmns  ajHcricaiia. 

Ulmus  is  the  ancient  name  of  the  elm  tree  and  was  adopted  by 
Linnaeus  as  the  name  of  the  genus. 

Abundant  in  moist  woods,  throughout  the  entire  north,  especially 
in  rich  alluvial  soil.  Varies  from  sixty  to  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet  in  height,  the  trunk  sturdy  and  usually  dividing  at  one-third  the 
height  of  the  tree  into  two  to  five  branches.  Grows  rapidly,  is  long 
lived.  Roots  fibrous  and  run  near  the  surface  of  the  ground,  often 
rise  above  it. 

Bark. — Dark  gray,  rough,  with  longitudinal  and  not  very  closely 
adherent  ridges.  Branchlets  light  green,  downy,  later  become  red- 
dish brown,  smooth  and  finally  ashy  gray. 

Wood. — Reddish  brown,  sapwood  pale  ;  heavy,  hard,  strong, 
tough,  difficult  to  split,  rather  coarse-grained  ;  will  take  no  polish  ; 
used  for  hubs  of  wheels,  saddletrees  and  cooperage.  Sp.  gr., 
0.6506  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  40.55  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Flower-buds  larger  than  leaf  buds,  produced  in 
the  axils  of  the  leaves  of  the  previous  year.  Leaf-buds  brown,  one- 
eighth  of  an  inch  long,  ovate,  acute,  slightly  flattened ;  scales 
smooth.  No  terminal  bud  is  formed.  When  spring  growth  begins 
the  inner  scales  enlarge. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  four  to  six  inches  long,  two  to  three  inches 
broad,  obovate-oblong,  or  oval,  unequal  at  base,  doubly  serrate, 
acuminate.  Feather-veined,  midvein  and  primary  veins  conspicu- 
ous. They  come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate,  downy,  pale  green  ; 
when  full  grown  are  dark  green,  rough  above,  pale  green  and  downy 
or  smooth  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  brown  or  golden  yellow. 
Petioles  short  ;  stipules  fugacious. 

Flowers. — March,  April,  before  the  leaves.  Perfect,  small,  brown- 
ish yellow  or  reddish,  borne  in  loose  umbel-like  clusters,  on  slender 
pedicels,  on  last  year's  wood. 

233 


ELM    FAMILY 

Calyx, — Campanulate,  four  to  nine-lobed,  hairy,  green,  tinged  with 
red,  becoming  brown  in  fading  ;  lobes  imbricate  in  bud. 

Corolla. — Wanting. 

Stamens. — Four  to  nine  or  as  many  as  the  calyx  lobes  and  oppo- 
site to  them,  exserted  ;  filaments  long,  slender  ;  anthers  bright  red, 
two-celled,  cells  opening  longitudinally ;  pollen  shed  before  the 
stigmas  mature. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  two-celled;  styles  two,  light  green; 
ovules  solitary. 

Fruit. — Samaras,  winged  all  round,  maturing  as  the  leaves  appear 
and  clinging  to  the  branch  in  clusters,  ovate,  one-seeded,  one-half 
inch  long,  two-beaked,  sharp  points  incurved  and  closing  the  notch, 
green,  smooth  on  faces,  densely  ciliate  at  margins.  Cotyledons  flat, 
fleshy. 

Who  knows  not  the  '  vine  prop '  elm,  with  its  lofty  grace  and  slight  bene- 
dictive  droop,  the  oriole's  nest  still  swinging  from  the  end  of  some  branch? 

—  Edith  Thomas. 

White  Elm  and  Silver  Maple  are  the  first  trees  to  accept 
the  challenge  of  March  that  spring  has  come,  and  they  seal 

their  acceptance  with  flowers  not 
leaves,  for  the  law  of  the  wild 
wood  is  that  forest  trees  shall 
produce  flowers  before  leaves. 
The  flower-buds  are  usually  borne 


Flowering  Spray  of  White  Elm,   Ulmus  amcricana. 


on  the  topmost  branches  of  an  elm  tree,  and  even  in  February 
they  respond  to  the  kindly  influence  of  a  few  warm  days  by 
becoming  swollen  and  shining.  When  March  stops  for  a  day 
or  two  to  take  his  breath  and  the  sun  shines  and  the  warm 
air  comes  up  from  the  south,  these  swollen  buds  shake  off 
their  brown  scales  and  come  out  as  little  clusters  of  eight  to 

234 


WHITE    ELM 


White  Elm,  Uhiius  anwinjiia. 

Leaves  4'  to  6'  long,  2'  to  3'  broad. 


ELM    FAMILY 

twenty,  tiny,  reddish  brown  blossoms.  In  cities  where  the 
ehii  is  a  common  tree  the  sidewalks  are  strewn  with  these 
discarded  bud  scales,  but  the  flowers  are  so  small,  so 
brown  and  so  high  that  the  world  walks  by,  thinking, 
''The  elm  never  blossoms."  Six  weeks  later  the  same 
sidewalks  are  covered  with  little,  flat,  green  samaras  half 
an  inch  long,  often  as  unnoticed  as  the  blossoms  which 
preceded  them. 

The  typical  outline  form  of  the  elm  is  triangular,  though  it 
is  inclined  to  vary  with  location  and  opportunity.  Probably 
the  best  description  of  the  varied  forms  of  the  elm  is  found 
in  the  report  of  George  B.  Emerson  upon  the  Trees  and 
Shrubs  of  Massachusetts.  He  says  :  "From  a  root,  which 
in  old  trees,  spreads  much  above  the  surface  of  the  ground, 
the  trunk  rises  to  a  considerable  height  in  a  single  stem. 
Here  it  usually  divides  into  two  or  three  principal  branches, 
which  go  off  by  a  gradual  and  easy  curve.  These  stretch 
upward  and  outward  with  an  airy  sweep — become  horizon- 
tal, the  extreme  branchlets  and  sometimes  the  extreme  half 
of   the  limb,  pendent,  forming  a  light  and  regular  arch." 

"The  American  elm  affects  many  different  shapes,  all  of 
them  beautiful.  Of  these,  three  are  most  striking  and  dis- 
tinct. The  tall  Etruscan  vase  is  formed  by  four  or  five 
limbs,  separating  at  twenty  or  thirty  feet  from  the  ground, 
going  up  with  a  gradual  divergency  to  sixty  or  seventy,  and 
there  bending  rapidly  outward,  forming  a  flat  top  with  a  pen- 
dent border.  The  single  or  compound  plume  is  represented 
by  trees  stretching  up  in  single  stem,  or  two  or  three  paral- 
lel limbs  to  the  height  of  seventy  or  even  a  hundred  feet,  and 
spreading  out  in  one  or  two  light  feathery  plumes.  The  elm 
often  assumes  a  character  akin  to  that  of  the  oak  ;  that  is 
when  it  has  been  transplanted  young  from  an  open  situation 
and  allowed  always  to  remain  by  itself.  It  is  then  a  broad 
round-headed  tree." 

The  leaves  come  out  of  the  bud  a  pale  tender  green  and 
folded  like  little  fans.  They  appear  late  because  the  flower- 
ing and  fruiting  is  virtually  over  before  their  arrival.     Cling- 

236 


WHITE    ELM 


While   bliii.   L  iiiiii.s  aiihiuana. 


ELM    FAMILY 


f/;^^'^-7^v 


ing  closely  to  the  twig  as  they  do  they  have  little  independent 
motion  but  move  with  the  branch.  An  elm  leaf  can  be  easily 
recognized  by  its  unequal  base,  the  part  of  the  leaf  on  one 
side  of  the  midrib  is  considerably  larger  than  that  upon  the 

other.  Although  a  fa- 
vorite city  shade  tree 
the  elm  does  not  thrive 
where  soft  coal  is  habit- 
ually burned.  The  rough 
leaves  catch  the  soot 
which  sticks  fast,  seems 
to  smother  the  trees,  and 
n  time  destroys  them. 

One  who  recognizes  it 
only  in  leaf  does  not 
really  know  a  deciduous 
tree,  for  it  is  when  stripped  like  an  athlete  for  its  contest 
with  the  winds  and  storms  of  winter,  that  it  discloses  the 
secret  of  its  grace,  its  weakness,  or  its  strength.  No  tree 
endures  this  test  better  than  the  elm  and  its  typical  form  is 
so  marked  that  it  can  be  easily  recognized  even  at  night 
when  outlined  against  the  sky. 

A  peculiar  characteristic  of  the  wood  is  the  wonderful 
twisting  and  interlacing  of  its  fibres  which  give  it  an  exceed- 
ing toughness.  A  characteristic  immortalized  by  Oliver 
Wendell  Holmes  in  "The  Wonderful  One-Hoss  Shay." 


Unfolding  Leaves  of  White  Elm,   Ulmiis  anicricaiia. 


The  hubs  oflogs  from  the  ''  Settler's  ellum," 
Last  of  its  timber,— they  couldn't  sell  'em, 
Never  an  axe  had  seen  their  chips, 
And  the  wedges  flew  from  between  their  lips, 
Their  blunt  ends  frizzled  like  celery-tips. 


The  Elms  are  an  ancient  race  ;  traces  of  them  exist  in 
the  tertiary  rocks  of  Greenland,  and  in  the  miocene  pe- 
riod they  flourished  in  Europe,  western  Asia  and  North 
America. 

A   few  elm  trees  have  become  historic,  either  because  of 

238 


SLIPPERY    ELM 


Slippery  Elm,  Ulmiis  pubescens. 

Leaves  5'  to  7'  long. 


ELM    FAMILY 


great  size,  or  because  of  some  great  event  occurring  beneath 

their  branches.  For  example,  the  Washington  Elm  in  Cam- 
bridge, Massachusetts,  is  so  called 
because  beneath  its  shade  Gen- 
eral ^\'ashington  is  said  to  have 
first  drawn  his  sword,  on  taking 
command  of  the  American  army. 
The  famous  treat}^  of  AVilliam 
Penn  with  the  Indians  was  made 
beneath  the  branches  of  an  enor- 
mous elm,  which  remained  stand- 
ing in  the  suburbs  of  Philadel- 
phia until  1810,  when  it  was 
blown  down.     Its  site  is  marked 

by  a  marble  column  and  its  age  was  estimated  to  be  two 

hundred  and  thirty-three  years. 


White  Elm 


SLIPPERY   ELM.     RED   ELM 


U 1 1)1  us  pjibescens —  Ulvuis  fi'tlva. 

Fulva,  reddish  yellow,  refers  to  the  color  of  the  wood.    Fubescens, 
downy.      Slippery  characterizes  the  inner  bark. 

Common.  Sixty  to  seventy  feet  in  height,  trunk  sometimes  two 
feet  in  diameter  and  spreading  branches  which  form  a  broad,  open, 
flat- topped  head.  Prefers  banks  of  streams  and  fertile  hillsides  ; 
roots  fibrous.  Ranges  from  St.  Lawrence  River  to  Florida  and 
throughout  the  entire  Mississippi  valley. 

Bark. — Dark  brown  tinged  with  red,  divided  by  shallow  fissures, 
and  covered  with  large  loose  plates.  Branchlets  stout,  bright  green, 
later  light  brown,  finally  dark  gray  or  brown. 

Wood. — Dark  brown  or  red  ;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained,  strong, 
tough,  durable  in  contact  with  the  soil,  and  easy  to  split  while  green. 
When  boiled  or  steamed  if.  becomes  very  flexible.  Used  for  fence 
posts,  railway  ties,  sills  of  buildings,  agricultural  implements.  Sp. 
gr.,  0.6956  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  43.35  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Leaf-buds  ovate,  rather  obtuse,  one-fourth  of  an 
inch  long,  covered  with  tawny  hairs.  Flower-buds  larger  than  leaf- 
buds.  Inner  scales  enlarge  with  the  growing  shoot  and  become 
green,  obtuse,  hairy,  the  innermost  serve  as  stipules  for  a  time. 

240 


SLIPPERY   ELM 

Leaves. — Alternate,  ovate-oblong,  five  to  seven  inches  long, 
rounded  at  the  base  on  one  side  and  oblique  on  the  other,  coarsely 
and  doubly  serrate,  acute  or  acuminate.  Feather-veined,  midrib 
very  prominent  beneath.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate, 
thin,  light  green  ;  when  full  grown  they  are  thick,  firm,  dark  green, 
rough  above,  paler  and  somewhat  rough  beneath.  In  autumn  they 
turn  to  a  dull  yellow.     Petioles  short,  hairy  ;  stipules  caducous. 

Flowers. — March,  April,  before  the  leaves.  Perfect,  borne  in 
clusters  on  short  pedicles  produced  from  the  axils  of  minute  green 
bracts. 

Calyx. — Campanulate,  five  to  nine-lobed,  green,  hairy ;  lobes 
imbricate  in  bud. 

Corolla. — Wanting. 

Stamens. — Five  to  nine,  exserted,  light  yellow  ;  filaments  slender  ; 
anthers  dark  red,  do  not  shed  their  pollen  until  the  stigmas  have 
begun  to  wither,  extrorse,  two-celled  ;  cells  opening  longitudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  one-celled  by  abortion  ;  stigmas  two,  red- 
dish purple  ;  ovules  solitary. 

Fruit. — Samaras,  winged  all  round,  maturing  when  leaves  are  half 
grown,  semi-orbicular,  one-half  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch  broad, 
hairy  on  the  faces  but  naked  at  the  margins  ;  emarginate  with  re- 
mains of  both  stigmas  at  the  apex.  Wing  is  broad  and  thin  and 
marked  by  the  dark  line  of  union  of  the  two  carpels. 


Although  the  White  Elm  and  the  Slippery  Elm  look  very 
much  alike  there  are  several  points  of  difference  which  make  it 
fairly  easy  to  distinguish  them.  The  White  Elm  varies  greatly 
in  the  size  of  its  leaves.  There 
may  be  individual  White  Elms 
whose  leaves  are  larger  than  in- 
dividual Slippery  Elms  but  upon 
the  whole,  given  the  same  con- 
ditions, the  foliage  mass  of  a 
Slippery  Elm  is  made  up  of 
larger  leaves  than  that  of  the 
White  Elm.  The  leaves  are 
much  rougher,  they  are  rough 
whichever  way  you  rub  them, 
while  the  White  Elm  leaves  are 
smooth  one  way  and  rough  the  other.  The  buds  are  hairy, 
those  of  the  White  Elm  smooth.  In  the  spring  the  leaves 
of  the  Slippery  Elm  come  out  protected  and  adorned  with 

241 


Slippery  Elm,    Uhnu^  pubcs-cois. 
Samaras  y^'  to  )4'  'o'lg- 


ELM    FAMILY 

many  bud  scales,  there  are  perhaps  twelve  all  told  and  the 
inner  ones  become  half  an  inch  long,  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
wide,  pale  green,  rounded,  and  tipped  with  rusty  hairs.  The 
enlarged  bud  scales  of  the  White  Elm  are  bright  green, 
smooth,  sometimes  an  inch  long,  narrow  and  acute. 

The  samaras  are  larger  than  those  of  the  White  Elm  and 
more  orbicular.  They  ripen  when  the  leaves  are  half  grown, 
those  of  the  White  Elm  ripen  as  the  leaves  unfold.  The  seed 
cavity  is  coated  with  thick  brown  tomentum.  The  margins 
are  naked,  those  of  the  White  Elm  ciliate.  The  character  of 
the  inner  bark  is  unmistakable.  It  is  thick,  fragrant,  muci- 
laginous, demulcent,  and  nutritious.  The  water  in  which  the 
bark  has  been  soaked  is  a  grateful  drink  for  one  suffering 
from  affections  of  the  throat  and  lungs.  The  Indians  of  New 
York  call  the  tree,  Oo-hoosk-ah — "It  slips." 


CORK    ELM.     ROCK   ELM 

Uli/iiis  ract'iiibsa. 

Eighty  to  one  hundred  feet  in  height,  sometimes  three  feet  in 
diameter,  often  free  of  branches  for  sixty  feet;  with  short  spreading 
limbs  at  the  summit  which  form  a  round-topped  head.  Grows  on 
dry  gravelly  uplands,  rocky  slopes  and  river  cliffs.  Roots  fibrous. 
Ranges  from  Vermont  to  New  York,  from  southern  Michigan  and 
Wisconsin  to  northeastern  Nebraska,  southeastern  Missouri  and 
middle  Tennessee. 

Bark. — Gray  tinged  with  red,  divided  by  wide  fissures  into  broad 
ridges,  which  are  broken  at  the  surface  into  large  scales.  Branch- 
lets  light  brown,  downy,  later  dark  brown  or  ashy  gray.  Corky  ir- 
regular ridges  appear  on  branches  two  years  old. 

Wood. — Pale  brown  tinged  with  red  ;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained, 
strong  and  tough,  takes  a  fine  polish.  Used  for  agricultural  imple- 
ments, cabinetwork,  railway  ties,  bridge  timbers,  and  sills  of  build- 
ings.    Sp.  gr.,  0.7263  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  45.26  lbs. 

Winter  Buds.  —  Leaf-buds  scaly,  chestnut  brown,  ovate,  acute, 
hairy,  one-fourth  of  an  inch  long  ;  flower-buds  larger.  Inner  scales 
enlarge  with  the  growing  shoot.     No  terminal  bud  is  formed. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  obovate  or  oblong-oval,  three  to  four  niches 
long,  rounded   or   wedge-shaped  at   base,    doubly   serrate,    acute. 

242 


CORK   ELM 


Cork  Elm,  U/nms  raceuiosa. 

Leaves  3'  to  4'  long. 


ELM    FAMILY 

They  come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate,  pale  green  and  hairy,  when 
full  grown  are  thick,  firm,  smooth,  dark  green  above  and  paler 
green  beneath.  Feather-veined.  In  autumn  they  turn  a  bright 
clear  yellow.  Petioles  short,  hairy.  Stipules  ovate  -  lanceolate, 
veined,  green  with  red  margins,  clasping  with  united  bases. 

Flozuers. — March,  April,  before  the  leaves.  Perfect,  greenish, 
borne  in  three-flowered  clusters  on  long  drooping  pedicles. 

Calyx. — Campanulate,  seven  to  eight-lobed  ;  lobes  oblong, 
rounded. 

Corolla. — Wanting. 

Statnens. — Seven  to  eight,  exserted  ;  filaments  light  green  ,  an- 
thers oblong,  dark  purple,  extrorse,  two-celled  ;  cells  opening  longi- 
tudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  one-celled,  hairy,  with  two  styles  ;  ovule 
solitary. 

Fruit. — Samaras,  winged  all  round,  mature  in  May  when  leaves 
are  half  grown,  ovate,  half  an  inch  long,  faces  downy,  margin 
densely  ciliate  ;  wing  narrow  in  proportion  to  the  seed. 

The  Cork  Elm  is  perhaps  the  most  valuable  tree  of  the 
genus,  as  it  possesses  all  the  good  qualities  of  the  family 
and  none  of  the  bad  ones.  It  is  strong,  tough,  easy  to  work, 
takes  a  fine  polish,  in  short,  is  so  useful  that  it  is  likely  to  be 

exterminated.  Its  range  is 
quite  limited,  extending 
through  northern  New  York 
and  southern  Michigan  to 
Nebraska,  Missouri,  and  mid- 
dle Tennessee.  It  is  some- 
times called  the  Hickory  Elm 
and  often  the  Clift"  Elm.  Its 
leaves  are  about  the  size  of 
those   of  the   White   Elm  and 

Cork  Elm,   U/unis  mccti'O'icT.  i  ^i  i  i  i 

c    ,,,  ,  nave  the  elm  shape,  unequal 

Samaras  V2    long.  '      '  t- 

at  base,  oval,  doubly  serrate 
and  acute.  The  tree  may  be  known  in  the  spring  by  the 
raceme  of  droopmg  blossoms  and  later  by  its  samaras.  But 
at  any  time,  the  irregular  corky  ridges  which  grow  from 
every  side  of  the  branches  and  branchlets  give  the  tree  a 
strange  shaggy  appearance  and  mark  it  unmistakably. 

244 


WINGED   ELM 


Wins^ed  Elm,  Uliniis  alata. 
Leaves  2'  to  2^'  long. 


ELM    FAMILY 


WINGED   ELM.     WAHOO 

Ulmtis  a  lata. 

A  lata,  winged,  referring  to  the  bark  of  the  branchlets. 

Small  tree,  forty  or  fifty  feet  high,  with  short  spreading  branches 
and  open  round-topped  head,  the  smaller  branches  with  corky  wings. 
Native  to  the  southern  states,  though  appearing  in  southern  Illi- 
nois and  southern  Indiana.  Prefers  dry  gravelly  uplands,  though 
found  in  alluvial  soil.     Roots  fibrous. 


Bark. — Brown  tinged  with  red,  divided  by  shallow  fissures  into 
flat  ridges  covered  with  small  scales.  Branchlets  slender,  light 
green  tinged  with  red,  later  become  brown  tinged  with  red  and  de- 
velop corky  wings  which  remain  for  a  long  time. 

Wood. — Light  brown  ;  heavy,  hard  close-grained,  not  strong,  but 
difficult  to  split.  Has  very  little  value.  Sp.  gr.,  0.7491  ;  weight  of 
cu.  ft.,  46.68  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Leaf-buds  slender,  acute,  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
long,  smooth  or  downy  ;  flower-buds  longer. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  ovate-oblong,  often  slightly  falcate,  two  to 
two  and  a  half  inches  long,  oblique  or  rounded  at  base,  doubly  ser- 
rate, acute  or  acuminate.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate, 
pale  green,  often  tinged  with  red,  hairy,  when  full  grown  are  thick, 
firm,  dark  green  and  smooth  above,  pale  green,  downy  below. 
Feather-veined,  midrib  and  veins  prominent.  In  autumn  they  turn 
a  pale  yellow.    Petioles  short,  stout,  hairy.    Stipules  large,  caducous. 

Flowers. — March,  before  the  leaves.  Per- 
fect, greenish  brown.  Borne  on  drooping  ped- 
icels in  few-flowered  clusters,  furnished  with 
both  bracts  and  bractlets. 

Calyx. — Campanulate,  with  five  ovate, 
rounded  lobes,  imbricate  in  bud. 


Corolla. — Wanting. 

Stamens. — As    many    as    the    lobes 
corolla. 


of    the 


Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  raised  on  a  short 
stipe  and  coated  with  white  tomentum,  one- 
celled  by  abortion  ;  stigmas  two. 

Fruit. — Samaras,  winged  all  round  ;  mature 
at  the   unfolding  of  the   leaves,   oblong,   one- 
third   of  an   inch  long,   borne   on   a  drooping 
stem,    downy    on    the    faces,   tipped    with    incurved    downy   horns, 
margins  densely  ciliate.     Wing  narrow  compared  to  seed. 

246 


Winged  Elm,  Ulmiis  alata. 
Samaras  "%'  to  >^'  long. 


ENGLISH    ELM 


English  Elm,  UJiniis  campestn^ 
Leaves  "-,'  to  4'  long. 


ELM    FAMILY 

The  Wahoo  or  Winged  Elm  is  a  native  of  the  southern 
states  ranging  along  the  line  of  Virginia,  southern  Illinois, 
and  southern  Indiana,  to  the  shores  of  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Its  leaves  are  smaller  than  those  of  the  White  Elm  ;  its 
samaras  are  the  smallest  of  all  the  elms  ;  its  wood  has  inter- 
laced fibres  which  make  it  difficult  to  split;  its  economic 
value  is  virtually  nothing.  It  grows  rapidly,  branches  low  to 
the  ground,  has  beautiful  and  abundant  foliage  and  may  well 
claim  a  place  in  our  parks  and  lawns. 

The  most  remarkable  thing  about  the  tree  are  the  corky 
ridges  along  the  sides  of  the  branches  from  which  the  name 
alata  has  been  given  to  the  species. 

ENGLISH   ELM 

Ulmus  campe'stris. 

This  elm  was  brought  over  to  New  England  at  an  early 
date  in  the  history  of  the  colonies  and  there  are  vigorous 
specimens  about  Boston  fully  one  hundred  and  fifty  years  old. 
Although  known  to  us  as  the  English  Elm,  competent  opinion 
inclines  to  the  belief  that  it  was  brought  into  England  by  the 
Romans  and  is  not  native  to  the  island.  This  is  the  common 
elm  tree  of  Europe  and  has  been  valued  there  both  for  its 
timber  and  its  beauty  from  very  ancient  times.  It  does  not 
have  the  drooping  habit  of  our  American  elms  but  rather  takes 
on  the  appearance  of  the  oak.  The  leaves  are  oblique,  often 
two-shouldered,  rough,  feather-veined  and  doubly  serrate. 
Its  seedlings  vary  greatly. 

The  ancient  poets  frequently  mention  this  tree  which,  in 
common  with  many  other  barren  trees,  was  devoted  by  them 
to  the  infernal  gods.  The  Greeks  and  Romans  considered  all 
trees  which  produce  no  fruit  fit  for  human  use  as  funereal  trees. 
Homer  alludes  to  this  when  he  tells  us  that  Achilles  raised  a 
monument  to  the  father  of  Andromache  in  a  grove  of  elms  : 

Jove's  sylvan  daughters  bade  their  ehns  bestow 
A  barren,  shade,  and  in  his  honor  grow. 

—Iliad,  Book  VI, 

243 


HACKBERRY 

The  elm  was  in  Roman  days  and  is  still  used  in  Italy  as  a 
support  to  the  vine.  It  is  interesting,  to  a  stranger,  to  see  a 
vineyard  planted  full  of  small  elm  trees  and  the  grape  vines 
hanging  from  their  branches  or  trained  from  one  to  another. 
The  manner  of  cultivation  seems  not  to  have  changed  from 
ancient  times. 

"  If  that  fair  elm,"  he  cried,  "alone  should  stand, 
No  grapes  would  glow  with  gold  and  tempt  the  hand  ; 
Or  if  that  vine  without  her  elm  should  grow, 
'Twould  creep,  a  poor  neglected  shrub,  below." 

—Ovid. 


HACKBERRY.  SUGARBERRY.  NETTLE  TREE 

Ccltis  occide'ntalis. 

The  name  Celtis  is  said  to  refer  to  the  tree  having  been  known  to 
the  ancient  Celts  ;  another  explanation  is  that  it  was  the  ancient 
name  of  a  species  of  lotus. 

A  large  tree  with  a  slender  trunk,  rising  to  the  height  of  one  hun- 
dred and  thirty  feet,  is  the  Hackberry  in  the  southwest,  but  in  the 
middle  states  it  attains  the  height  of  sixty  feet  with  a  handsome 
round-topped  head  and  pendulous  branches.  It  prefers  rich  moist 
soil,  but  will  grow  on  gravelly  or  rocky  hillsides.  The  roots  are 
fibrous  and  it  grows  rapidly.  Native  throughout  the  United  States 
east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

^^r^.— Light  brown  or  silvery  gray,  broken  on  the  surface  into 
thick  appressed  scales  and  sometimes  roughened  with  excrescences. 
Branchlets  slender,  light  green  at  first,  finally  red  brown,  at  length 
become  dark  brown  tinged  with  red. 

IVood.  — Light  yellow;  heavy,  soft,  coarse-grained,  not  strong. 
Used  for  fencing  and  cheap  furniture.  Sp.  gr.,  0.7287  ;  weight  of 
cu.  ft.,  45.41  lbs. 

Winter  Buds.—AxiW^Lvy,  ovate,  acute,  somewhat  flattened,  one- 
fourth  of  an  inch  long,  light  brown.  Scales  enlarge  with  the  grow- 
mg  shoot,  the  innermost  becoming  stipules.  No  terminal  bud  is 
formed. 

Zmwj.— Alternate,  ovate  to  ovate-lanceolate,  more  or  less  falcate, 
two  and  a  half  to  four  inches  long,  one  to  two  inches  wide,  very 
oblique  at  the  base,  serrate,  except  at  the  base  which  is  mostly  entire, 
acute.     Three-nerved,  midrib  and  primary  veins  prominent.     They 

249 


ELM    FAMILY  ^ 

come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate  with  slightly  involute  margins, 
pale  yellow  green,  downy  ;  when  full  grown  are  thin,  bright  green, 
rough  above,  paler  green  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  to  a  light 
yellow.  Petioles  slender,  slightly  grooved,  hairy.  Stipules  varying 
in  form,  caducous. 

Flowers. — May,  soon  after  the  leaves.  Polygamo-monoecious, 
greenish.  Of  three  kinds — staminate,  pistillate,  perfect ;  borne  on 
slender  drooping  pedicels. 

Calyx. — Light  yellow  green,  five-lobed,  divided  nearly  to  the  base  ; 
lobes  linear,  acute,  more  or  less  cut  at  the  apex,  often  tipped  with 
hairs,  imbricate  in  bud. 

Corolla . — W  anting. 

Stamens. — Five,  hypogynous  ;  filaments  white,  smooth,  slightly 
flattened  and  gradually  narrowed  from  base  to  apex  ;  in  the  bud 
incurved,  bringing  the  anthers  face  to  face,  as  flower  opens  they 
abruptly  straighten  ;  anthers  extrorse,  oblong,  two-celled  ;  cells 
opening  longitudinally. 

Pistil. — Ovary  superior,  one -celled  ;  style  two-lobed  ;  ovules  sol- 
itary. 

Fruit. — Fleshy  drupe,  oblong,  one-half  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch 
long,  tipped  with  remnants  of  style,  dark  purple.  Borne  on  a  slen- 
der stem  ;  ripens  in  September  and  October.  Remains  on  branches 
during  winter. 

When  one  for  the  first  time  sees  an  elm  tree  bearing  ber- 
ries, it  gives  a  shock  to  all  his  former  ideas.  To  come  upon 
the  Hackberry,  "tall  and  stately  by  the  river,"  showing  its 
elm  relationship  in  the  poise  of  its  trunk,  in  the  sweep  and 
fall  of  its  branches,  in  the  effect  of  its  foliage  mass  ;  showing 
this  so  plainly  that  a  novice  says,  "  of  course  it  is  an  elm," 
and  then  to  find  that  elm  bearing  dark  purple  berries  is  in- 
deed a  surprise.  Certainly  the  Hackberry  is  not  an  elm,  and 
its  stunted  growth  in  the  eastern  states  would  never  permit 
it  to  be  mistaken  for  one,  but  where  it  attains  its  fullest  de- 
velopment it  shows  unmistakably  its  family  relationship. 

Native  to  the  Mississippi  valley,  it  is  rare  east  of  the  Alle- 
ghanies  and  west  of  the  Rockies.  The  wood  is  not  very  val- 
uable, but  as  an  ornamental  tree  it  has  much  to  recommend 
it.  It  is  tolerant  of  many  conditions  of  soil  and  climate,  likes 
water  but  can  live  in  dry  situations.  Insects  rarely  attack 
its  leaves,  and  it  is  comparatively  free  from  serious  diseases. 
It  is  now  extensively  planted  as  a  shade  tree  in  the  western 

2  CO 


HACKBERRY 


Fruiting  Spray  ot  Hackberry,  Celtis  occideutali^ 


ELM    FAMILY 

states.  The  fruit  is  sweet  and  not  unpleasant,  and  is  loved 
by  the  birds. 

The  type  is  ancient,  traces  of  Celtis  have  been  found  in  the 
miocene  rocks  of  Europe. 

The  European  Nettle,  Celtis  australis,  is  supposed  to  have 
been  the  Lotus  of  the  ancients,  whose  fruit  Herodotus,  Dios- 
corides,  and  Theophrastus  describe  as  sweet,  pleasant,  and 
wholesome.     Homer  makes  Ulysses  say  ; 

I  sent  explorers  forth— two  chosen  men, 

A  herald  was  the  third — to  learn  what  race 

Ot  mortals  nourished  by  the  fruits  of  earth 

Possessed  the  land.     They  went  and  found  themselves 

Among  the  Lotus-eaters  soon,  who  used 

No  violence  against  their  lives,  but  gave 

Into  their  hands  the  lotus  plant  to  taste. 

Whoever  tasted  once  of  that  sweet  food 

Wished  not  to  see  his  native  country  more 

Nor  give  his  friends  the  knowledge  of  his  fate  ; 

And  then  my  messengers  desired  to  dwell 

Among  the  Lotus-eaters,  and  to  feed 

Upon  the  lotus,  never  to  return. 

— Odyssky,  Book  IX. 


252 


MORACE^— MULBERRY  FAMILY 

RED  MULBERRY 

Mortis  rubra. 

Moms  is  the  ancient  classical  name. 

Common.  Prefers  rich  soil  of  intervale  lands  and  low  hills.  Sixty 
to  seventy  feet  high,  with  a  short  trunk  three  or  four  feet  in  diam- 
eter, stout  spreading  branches  making  a  dense,  broad,  round-topped 
head.  Roots  fibrous,  grows  rapidly.  Juice  milky.  Ranges  from 
Massachusetts  to  Florida,  westward  to  Kansas  and  Nebraska. 

Bark. — Dark  brown  tinged  with  red,  divided  into  irregular  plates  ; 
separating  into  thick  scales.  Branchlets  at  first  dark  green,  often 
tinged  with  red  ;  later,  red  brown  and  finally  dark  brown. 

Wood. — Pale  orange  ;  light,  soft,  coarse-grained,  not  strong,  very 
durable  in  contact  with  the  soil.  Used  for  fences  and  in  cooperage. 
Sp.  gr.,  0.5898  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  36.75  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Ovate,  rounded  at  apex,  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in 
length,  light  brown.  Scales  grow  with  the  growing  shoot.  No 
terminal  bud  is  formed. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  variable  in  shape,  entire,  ovate  or  semiorbic- 
ular,  three-lobcd  sometimes  five-lobed  ;  three  to  five  inches  long, 
more  or  less  cordate  at  base,  serrate,  acute  or  acuminate.  Three- 
nerved  or  in  the  lobed  leaves,  palmately-veincd.  They  come  out  of 
the  bud  conduplicate,  yellow  green  with  reddish  tinge  ;  when  full 
grown  are  thin,  dark  bluish  green,  shining,  smooth  or  rough  above, 
paler  green  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  a  bright  yellow  and  fall 
early.     Petioles  stout,  grooved,  rather  long.     Stipules  caducous. 

Flowers. — May,  June,  with  the  leaves  ;  monoecious  and  dioecious. 
Staminate  flowers  in  densely  flowered  spikes  an  inch  long,  on  short, 
hairy  peduncles,  in  the  axils  of  later  leaves.  A  few  pistillate  are 
often  mixed  with  these.  Pistillate  flowers  in  narrow  spikes  two  to 
two  and  a  half  inches  long  and  borne  in  the  axils  of  the  first  leaves. 
Calyx  foui-parted  ;   stamens  four  ;    filaments  elastically  expanding  ; 

253 


MULBERRY   FAMILY 

styles  two,  thread-like  ;    ovary  two-celled,  one  cell  small  and  finally 
disappearing. 

Fruit. — Compound,  consisting  of  drupes  each  inclosed  in  a 
thickened,  fleshy  calyx.  Bright  red  at  first,  finally  dark  purple, 
sweet  and  juicy  ;  about  an  inch  long.     July. 

The  tree  (the  Mulberry)  is  found  in  abundance  in  the  northwestern  parts 

of  Florida.     The  Choctaws  put  its  inner  bark  in  hot  water  along  with  a  quantity 

of  ashes  and  obtain  filaments,  with  which  they  weave  a  kind  of  cloth  not  unlike 

a  coarse  hempen  cloth. 

— RoMANS's  "Natural  History  of  Florida." 


There  are  three  well  known  mulberries,  the  Red,  the 
Black,  and  the  White  ;  so  named  because  of  the  color  of  their 
fruit.  The  Red  Mulberry  is  the  American  species  and  bears 
the  characteristic  berry  of  the  genus  which  is 
an  aggregate  fruit  of  many  drupes.  It  resem- 
bles a  blackberry.  In  ripening  it  is  first  red, 
then  dark  purple.  In  taste  it  is  rather  insipid, 
but  is  loved  by  the  birds. 

The  Red  Mulberry  is  generally  distributed, 
but  rarely  attains  great  size.  Standing  in  the 
southern  forests  it  reaches  the  height  of  seventy 
feet,  but  ordinarily  it  is  a  low  broad  branched 
tree  with  trunk  proportionately  thickened.  Like 
the  Sassafras  it  bears  leaves  varying  in  form, 
some  heart-shaped  and  others  lobed.  But  these 
leaves  are  too  thick  and  rough  even  when  young 
to  make  proper  food  for  the  silkworm,  which 
in  a  cold  climate,  feeds  with  advantage  on  the 
leaves  of  the  White  Mulberry  only. 
Professor  Sargent  says  of  it,  "  Surpassing  as  it  does  in 
height  and  breadth  all  mulberry  trees  of  temperate  regions, 
the  dense  shade  afforded  by  its  broad  compact  crown  of 
dark  blue  green  leaves,  its  freedom  from  disease  and  the 
attacks  of  disfiguring  insects,  its  prolificness,  its  hardiness 
except  in  its  earliest  years,  and  the  rapidity  of  its  growth  in 
good  soil,  make  it  a  most  desirable  ornamental  tree." 

The  Black  Mulberry,  Mo7'us  nigra^  is  the  tree  common  in 
Europe,  introduced   it  is  supposed  from  Persia,  that   native 

254 


Fruit  of  Red 
Mulberry, 
Morns  ru- 
bra, about 
i'  long. 


RED  MULBERRY 


Ked  Mulberry,  Moms  rubra. 
Leaves  3'  to  5'  long. 


MULBERRY   FAMILY 

land  of  so  many  of  our  fruits.  Its  berry  is  large,  dark 
purple,  almost  black,  very  juicy  and  delicious.  Like  all  the 
mulberries,  its  leaves  vary  apparently  without  law.  The 
tree  is  long-lived  and  many  individuals  in  England  are  known 
to  be  three  hundred  years  old.  In  the  grounds  of  Christ 
Church  College  at  Cambridge  is  one  planted  by  Milton  when 
a  student  of  the  college  and  it  still  bears  delicious  fruit  as 
the  writer  can  testify  from  personal  experience.  In  Oxford, 
in  the  Common  Room  Garden  of  Pembroke  College,  are  two 
mulberry  trees  which  are  said  to  have  been  planted  before 
the  college  was  founded  in  1624. 

The  Black  Mulberry  has  been  known  from  the  earliest 
records  of  antiquity,  which  leads  to  the  belief  that  it  is  one 
of  the  first  trees  cultivated  by  man.  It  is  related  in  the 
Bible,  II.  Samuel,  v.  23,  that  David  came  out  against  his 
enemies  from  behind  the  mulberry  trees,  but  there  is  always 
a  difficulty  in  identifying  any  tree  mentioned  by  the  ancient 
authors  unless  its  characteristics  are  expressly  noted.  Ovid, 
however,  evidently  points  out  the  Black  Mulberry  as  the  one 
introduced  in  the  story  of  Pyramis  and  Thisbe,  and  Pliny  in 
several  ways  seems  to  identify  the  tree.  In  addition  to 
much  else  he  says,  "  Of  all  cultivated  trees  the  mulberry  is 
the  last  that  buds,  which  it  never  does  until  the  cold  weather 
is  past  and  it  is  therefore  called  the  wisest  of  trees." 

The  mulberry  was  very  generally  introduced  into  England 
about  1605  because  of  an  edict  of  James  I.  recommending  the 
rearing  of  silkworms  and  offering  packets  of  mulberry  seeds 
to  all  who  would  sow  them.  But  the  royal  knowledge  was 
imperfect  and  the  seeds  distributed  were  those  of  the  Black 
Mulberry  which  the  silkworm  will  not  willingly  eat,  instead 
of  the  White  Mulberry  upon  which  the  silkworm  thrives. 

Shakespeare's  Mulberry  is  referred  to  this  period  as  it  was 
planted  in  1609  in  his  garden  at  New  Place,  Stratford.  In 
Drake's  Shakespeare,  Mr.  Drake  mentions  a  native  of  Strat- 
ford who  remembered  frequently  to  have  eaten  of  the  fruit 
of  this  tree  in  his  youth,  some  of  its  branches  hanging  over 
the  wall  which  divided  that  garden  from  his  father's.     Cer- 

256 


WHITE   MULBERR 


Fruiting  Branch  of  White  Mulberry,  Moms  uIik. 
Leaves  y  to  5'  long. 


MULBERRY   FAMILY 

tainly  the  flourishing  plants  now  growing  in  that  garden,  and 
for  the  deUght  of  tourists  averred  to  be  the  scions  of  that 
classic  tree,  are  Black  Mulberries. 

The  mulberry  was  dedicated  by  the  Greeks  to  Minerva, 
probably  because  it  was  considered  the  wisest  of  trees. 

Many  persons  still  remember  a  children's  game  played  by 
little  girls,  with  the  refrain, — 

As  we  go  round  the  mulberry  bush, 
The  mulberry  bush,  the  mulberry  bush, 
As  we  go  round  the  mulberry  bush, 
So  early  in  the  morning. 

The  White  Mulberry,  Monis  alba,  is  a  native  of  China,  and 
although  many  varieties  have  been  produced  they  are  all 
alike  in  this,  that  the  fruit  is  white.  The  leaves  are  the  pre- 
ferred food  of  the  silkworm  and  the  tree  seems  to  have  been 
cultivated  in  China  from  most  ancient  times  for  the  purpose 
of  rearing  silkworms.  It  is  hardy  on  the  southern  shore  of 
Lake  Erie,  and  doubtless  throughout  our  temperate  range, 
although  It  succumbs  to  excessive  heat  and  extreme  cold. 
The  leaves  are  variable  in  form,  dark  green  and  shining. 

OSAGE  ORANGE 

Toxylon  poniiferiim.     JMaclura  aiirantiaca. 

Toxylon,  of  Greek  derivation,  alludes  to  the  Indian  use  of  the  wood 
in  the  manufacture  of  bows.  Madura  was  given  in  honor  of  Will- 
iam Maclure,  an  eminent  scientist. 

Native  to  the  rich  bottom  lands  of  Arkansas,  Texas,  and  Indian 
Territory.  Forty  to  sixty  feet  high  with  short  trunk  and  handsome 
round-topped  head.  Juice  milky  and  acrid.  Roots  thick,  fleshy, 
covered  with  bright  orange  colored  bark. 

Bark. — Dark,  deeply  furrowed,  scaly.  Branchlets  at  first  bright 
green,  pubescent,  during  first  winter  they  become  light  brown  tinged 
with  orange,  later  they  become  a  paler  orange  brown.  Branches 
with  yellow  pith,  and  armed  with  stout,  straight,  axillary  spines. 

Wood. — Bright  orange  yellow,  sapwood  paler  yellow  ;  heavy, 
hard,  strong,  flexible,  capable  of  receiving  a  fine  polish,  very  durable 

258 


OSAGE   ORANGE 


Osage  Orange,  Toxjylon  pomiferum. 
Leaves  3'  to  5'  long,  2'  to  3'  wide. 


MULBERRY   FAMILY 

in  contact  with  the  ground.  Sp.  gr.,  0.7736  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft., 
48.21  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — All  buds  lateral.  Depressed-globular,  partly  im- 
mersed in  the  bark,  pale  chestnut  brown. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  three  to  five  inches  long,  two  to  three 
inches  wide,  ovate  to  oblong-lanceolate,  entire,  acuminate,  or  acute 
or  cuspidate,  rounded,  wedge-shaped  or  subcordate  at  base.  Feather- 
veined,  midrib  prominent.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  involute,  pale 
bright  green,  pubescent  and  tomentose,  when  full  grown  are  thick, 
firm,  dark  green,  shining  above,  paler  green  below.  In  autumn 
they  turn  a  clear  bright  yellow.  Petioles  slender,  pubescent,  slightly 
grooved.      Stipules  small,  caducous. 

-  Flowers. — June,  when  leaves  are  full  grown  ;  dioecious.  Stam- 
inate  flowers  in  racemes,  borne  on  long,  slender,  drooping  peduncles 
developed  from  the  axils  of  crowded  leaves  on  the  spur-like  branch- 
lets  of  the  previous  year.  Racemes  are  short  or  long.  Flowers  pale 
green,  small.  Calyx  hairy,  four-lobed.  Stamens  four,  inserted  op- 
posite lobes  of  calyx,  on  the  margin  of  thin  disk  ;  filaments  flattened, 
exserted  ;  anthers  oblong,  introrse,  two-celled  ;  cells  opening  longi- 
tudinally ;  ovary  wanting.  Pistillate  flowers  borne  in  a  dense  glo- 
bose many-flowered  head  which  appears  on  a  short  stout  peduncle, 
axillary  on  shoots  of  the  year.  Calyx,  hairy,  four-lobed  ;  lobes 
thick,  concave,  investing  the  ovary,  and  inclosing  the  fruit.  Ovary 
superior,  ovate,  compressed,  green,  crowned  by  a  long  slender  style 
covered  with  white  stigmatic  hairs.     Ovule  solitary. 

Fruit. — Pale  green  globe,  four  to  five  inches  in  diameter,  made 
up  of  numerous  small  drupes,  crowded  and  grown  together.  These 
small  drupes  are  oblong,  compressed,  rounded,  often  notched  at 
apex,  filled  with  milky  juice.  Seed  oblong,  the  fruit  is  often  seed- 
less. 

The  earliest  account  of  Toxylon  pomiferum  was  given  by  a 
Scotch  gentleman,  William  Dunbar,  in  his  narrative  of  a  jour- 
ney made  in  1804  from  St.  Catherine's  Landing  on  the  Mis- 
sissippi to  the  Wishita  river.  In  1810,  Bradbury,  who  trav- 
elled extensively  in  the  interior  of  North  America  in  1809, 
t8io  and  181 1,  relates  that  he  found  two  trees  growing  in 
the  garden  of  Pierre  Chouteau,  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  St. 
Louis.  They  were  known  as  Osage  Orange,  the  trees  having 
been  introduced  from  a  settlement  of  the  Osage  Indians. 
The  wood  was  highly  prized  by  the  Indians  as  material  for 
bows  and  war  clubs,  and  Bradbury  relates  that  the  price  of 
a  bow  was  a  horse  and  blanket.  The  wood  is  very  elastic, 
practically  incorruptible,  and  extensively  used  wherever  wood 

260 


OSAGE   ORANGE 


Fruit  ui  Osage  Onuigo. 

Varies  from  4'  to  t;'  in  diameter. 


MULBERRY   FAMILY 

must  bear  alternations  of  wet  and  dry,  or  is  brought  into  con- 
tact with  the  soil.  In  color  it  is  a  most  brilliant  orange,  but 
this  dulls  with  time.  It  is  largely  used  as  a  substitute  for 
olive  wood  in  the  manufacture  of  small  articles. 

The  Osage  Orange  is  native  to  a  deep  and  fertile  soil  but 
it  has  great  powers  of  adaptation  and  is  hardy  throughout  the 
north,  where  it  is  extensively  used  as  a  hedge  plant.  It  needs 
severe  pruning  to  keep  it  in  bounds  and  the  shoots  of  a  sin- 
gle year  will  grow  three  to  six  feet  long. 

The  leaves  are  beautiful  singly,  but  arranged  alternately  on 
a  slender  growing  shoot  three  or  four  feet  long,  varying  from 
dark  to  pale  tender  green,  every  one  glistening  and  glittering 
in  the  sunlight,  they  are  indeed  beautiful.  In  form  they  are 
very  simple,  a  long  oval  terminating  in  a  slender  point.  In 
the  axil  of  every  growing  leaf  is  found  a  growing  spine  which 
when  mature  is  about  an  inch  long,  and  rather  formidable. 
The  pistillate  and  staminate  flowers  are  on  different  trees  ; 
both  are  inconspicuous  ;  but  the  fruit  is  very  much  in  evi- 
dence. This  in  size  and  general  appearance  resembles  a 
large,  yellow  green  orange,  only  its  surface  is  roughened  and 
tuberculated.  It  is,  in  fact,  a  compound  fruit  such  as  the  bot- 
anists call  a  syncarp.  Syncarp  means  that  the  carpels,  that 
is,  the  ovaries  have  grown  together  and  that  the  great  orange- 
like ball  is  not  one  fruit  but  many  >  in  fact  just  as  many  as 
there  are  tubercles  on  the  surface  for  each  one  represents  a 
ripened  ovary.  It  is  heavily  charged  with  milky  juice  which 
oozes  out  at  the  slightest  wounding  of  the  surface.  Although 
the  flowering  is  dioecious,  the  pistillate  tree  even  when  iso- 
lated will  bear  large  oranges,  perfect  to  the  sight  but  lacking 
the  seeds.  The  fruit  is  eaten  by  cattle  but  is  not  good  for 
them. 

The  tree  is  very  prolific  and  a  neglected  hedge  will  soon 
become  fruit-bearing.  It  is  remarkably  free  from  insect  ene- 
mies and  fungal  diseases. 


262 


PLATANACE/E— PLANE   TREE   FAMILY 

SYCAMORE.     BUTTONWOOD 

Plata n lis  occidc'n talis. 

Platamcs  from  plains^  broad,  on  account  of  the  shape  of  the  leaf. 

Common  throughout  the  United  States.  Found  along  the  banks 
of  streams  and  on  rich  bottom  lands.  Seventy  to  one  hundred  and 
twenty  feet  in  height,  often  divided  near  the  ground  into  several  sec- 
ondary trunks,  very  free  from  branches  ;  spreading  limbs  at  the  top 
make  an  irregular,  open  head.  Easily  recognized  by  its  mottled  ex- 
foliating bark.    Roots  fibrous.    The  trunks  of  large  trees  often  hollow. 

Bark. — Dark  reddish  brown,  broken  into  oblong  plate-like  scales, 
higher  on  the  tree  smooth  and  light  gray  ;  separates  freely  into  thin 
plates  which  peel  off  and  leave  the  surface  pale  yellow,  or  white,  or 
greenish.  Branchlets  at  first  pale  green,  coated  with  thick  pale  to- 
mentum,  later  dark  green  and  smooth,  finally  become  light  gray  or 
light  reddish  brown. 

Wood. — Light  brown,  tinged  with  red  ;  heavy,  weak,  difficult  to 
split.  Largely  used  for  furniture  and  interior  finish  of  houses,  butch- 
ers' blocks.     Sp.  gr. ,  0.5678;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  35.39  lbs. 

Whiter  Buds. — Large,  conical,  three-scaled,  form  in  summer 
within  the  petiole  of  the  full  grown  leaf.  The  inner  scales  enlarge 
with  the  growing  shoot.     There  is  no  terminal  bud. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  palmately  nerved,  broadly-ovate  or  orbicular, 
four  to  nine  inches  long,  truncate  or  cordate  or  wedge-shaped  at 
base,  decurrent  on  the  petiole.  Three  to  five-lobed  by  broad  shallow 
sinuses  rounded  in  the  bottom  ;  lobes  acuminate,  toothed,  or  entire, 
or  undulate.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  plicate,  pale  green  coated 
with  pale  tomentum  ;  when  full  Qrown  are  bright  yellow  green  above, 
paler  beneath.  In  autumn  ihey  turn  brown  and  wither  before  falling. 
Petioles  long,  abruptly  enlarged  at  base  and  inclosing  the  buds. 
Stipules  with  spreading,  toothed  borders,  conspicuous  on  young 
shoots,  caducous. 

263 


PLANE  TREE   FAMILY 


i 

1^'             'T%              HI 

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ftc'H 

Hk       ^'        1  \             "^^H 

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Mm-.'^-ii.  ■'.  ''''S^'ii'c^. 

^.r  «^:^->^-.-',•^•^■^-*^5&^^^^SMlJ 

Trunk  of  the  Sycamore,  Plataims  occtdculalis. 


SYCAMORE 

Flowers. — May,  with  the  leaves;  monoecious,  borne  in  dense 
heads.  Staminate  and  pistillate  heads  on  separate  peduncles. 
Staminate  heads  dark  red,  on  axillary  peduncles  ;  pistillate  heads 
light  green  tinged  with  red,  on  longer  terminal  peduncles.  Calyx  of 
staminate  flowers  three  to  six  tiny  scale-like  sepals,  slightly  united 
at  the  base,  half  as  long  as  the  pointed  petals.  Of  pistillate'  flowers 
three  to  six,  usually  four,  rounded  sepals,  much  shorter  than  the 
acute  petals.     Corolla  of  three  to  six  thin  scale-like  petals. 

Stamens.— \x\  staminate  flowers  as  many  as  the  divisions  of  the 
calyx  and  opposite  to  them;  filaments  short;  anthers  elongated, 
two-celled  ;  cells  opening  by  lateral  slits  ;  connectives  hairy. 

Pistil.— OxTixy  superior,  one-celled,  sessile,  ovate-oblong,  sur- 
rounded at  base  by  long,  jointed,  pale  hairs  ;  styles  long,  incurved, 
red,  stigmatic  ;  ovules  one  or  two. 

Fruit.— \\\o\\\\  heads,  solitary  or  rarely  clustered,  an  inch  in 
diameter,  hanging  on  slender  stems  three  to  six  inches  long  ;  per- 
sistent through  the  winter.  These  heads  are  composed  of  akenes 
about  two-thirds  of  an  inch  in  length.     October. 

Clear  are  the  depths  where  its  eddies  play, 

And  dimples  deepen  and  whirl  away  ; 
And  the  plane  tree's  speckled  arms  o'ershoot 

The  swifter  current  that  mines  its  root. 

—William  Cui.len  Bryant. 

The  distinguishing  peculiarity  of  the  Sycamore  is  that  it 
"casts  its  bark  as  well  as  its  leaves."  All  trees  do  this  more 
or  less,  it  is  a  necessity  of  life  that  the  bark  should  yield  to 
the  pressure  of  the  growing  stem  ;  and  the  outer  layers  be- 
coming dead  fall  off  in  scales  or  plates  of  varying  size.  In 
the  case  of  the  Silver  Maple  and  the  Shagbark  Hickory  the 
process  is  not  hidden,  but  the  Sycamore  proclaims  the  fact 
more  openly  than  any  other  tree  of  the  forest.  The  bark  of 
the  trunk  and  larger  limbs  flakes  off  in  great  irregular  masses 
leaving  the  surface  mottled,  greenish  white  and  gray  and 
brown,  sometimes  the  smaller  limbs  look  as  if  whitewashed. 
In  winter  it  can  be  recognized  from  afar  by  this  characteristic 
alone  ;  and  as  it  likes  to  grow  upon  river  banks  the  course  of 
the  stream  may  often  be  traced  for  a  long  distance  by  the 
white  branches  of  this  tree.  The  explanation  of  this  is  found 
in  the  rigid  texture  of  the  bark  tissue,  which  entirely  lacks 
the  expansive  power  common  to  the  bark  of  other  trees,  so 
that  it  is  incapable  of  stretching  to  accommodate  the  growth 

26  c; 


PLANE    TREE    FAMILY 


of  the  wood  underneath  and  the  tree  is  therefore  obliged  to 
slough  it  off. 

A  second  peculiarity  is  the  way  the  leaves  protect  the 
growing  buds.  Examine  a  branch  of  almost  any  tree  in  early 
August  and  nestled  in  the  axils  of  the 
leaves  you  will  find  the  tiny  forming 
buds  which  will  produce  the  leaves  of 
the  coming  year.  The  Sycamore  branch 
apparently  has  no  such  buds.  Are  there 
then  to  be  no  more  leaves  on  Sycamores 
in  coming  years  ?  The  conclusion  is 
hasty.  Observe  the  sudden  enlarge- 
ment of  the  petiole,  pull  it  from  the 
branch,  and  there  inclosed  in  a  little 
tight-fitting  case  made  of  the  base  of 
the  petiole  is  the  bud. 

The  great  merit  of  the  Sycamore  is 
its  vigor  and  luxuriance  of  growth  ;  al- 
though at  present  the  trees  are  greatly 
threatened  by  a  fungus  which  attacks 
and  destroys  the  first  leaves  and  grow- 
ing shoots.  This  fungus  was  first  dis- 
covered in  Germany  more  than  twenty 
years  ago,  but  its  occurrence  in  the 
United  States  was  only  recently  recog- 
nized by  botanists.  The  disease  makes 
its  appearance  soon  after  the  leaves 
have  expanded,  appearing  in  the  form 
of  small  black  spots  which  lie  close  to 
the  veins.  As  a  result  the  half  grown 
leaves  turn  brown,  shrivel,  and  fall.  It 
is  very  common  in  early  June  to  see 
these  trees  putting  forth  their  second  crop  of  leaves  while 
the  first  hang  brown,  dead,  and  unsightly  on  the  ends  of 
the  branches.  No  efficient  remedy  has  as  yet  been  applied 
and  if  none  develops  the  Sycamore  is  practically  out  of  the 
race,  for  a  tree  which  does  not  really  get  its  leaves  until  July 

266 


Fruit  of  the  Sycamore, 
Platanus  occidentalis. 


SYCAMORE 


/* 

,  «.:S(4j:. 

■ 

vs'^ 

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m 

m^' 

4 

\ 

Hr 

Sycamore,  Plataims  occ-ideiitdlis. 

Leaves  4'  to  9'  long. 


PLANE   TREE    FAMILY 

is  too  severely  handicapped  to  compete  successfully  in  the 
struggle  for  life. 

In  old  age  the  tree  is  picturesque  rather  than  beau- 
tiful. The  stiff  branches  strike  out  from  the  huge  trunk 
irregularly  and  wander  away  without  law  or  order.  The 
branchlets  likewise  are  arranged  on  a  plan  of  hit  or  miss. 
But,  when  the  leaves  are  out,  this  scrambling  lawless  arrange- 
ment is  seen  to  have  its  good  points,  no  leaf  unduly  shades 
another  and  the  foliage  effect  is  light  and  air3^ 

The  Sycamore  is  able  to  triumph  over  the  hard  conditions 
of  city  life  and  is  extensively  planted  as  a  shade  tree.  It 
bears  transplanting  well  and  grows  rapidly. 

A  Sycamore,  probably  our  present  Sycamore,  made  up  a 
large  part  of  the  forests  of  Greenland  and  arctic  America 
during  the  cretaceous  and  tertiary  periods.  It  once  grew 
abundantly  in  central  Europe  whence  it  has  now  disappeared. 
Evidently  there  is  something  in  present  conditions  inimical 
to  its  development. 


1 


268 


JUGLANDAcE/E— WALNUT   FAMILY 

BLACK   WALNUT 

Jug/a  us  nigra 

Jiiglans  is  contracted  from  Jovis,  Jove's,  and  ghins  a  mast,  or 
acorn  ;  and  was  applied  by  the  Roman  writers  to  this  tree  on 
accomit  of  the  excellence  of  its  fruit  as  food,  compared  with  other 
masts  or  acorns ;  the  only  species  that  was  known  to  the  Romans 
having  been  the  Jiiglans  regia,  the  tree  bearing  the  walnut  of 
commerce. 

Generally  distributed,  least  common  in  the  Atlantic  states, 
abundant  in  the  middle  Mississippi  valley.  Prefers  rich  bottom 
lands  and  fertile  hillsides.  Deep  perpendicular  roots  ;  grows 
slowly  ;  reaches  the  height  of  one  hundred  feet  with  a  trunk  four  to 
six  feet  in  diameter.      Bark  and  husk  contain  tannic  acid. 

Bark.—T>^\'k  brown,  slightly  tinged  with  red,  deeply  divided  into 
broad  rounded  ridges,  broken  on  the  surface  into  thick  scales. 
Branchlets  hairy,  dull  orange  brown,  later  becoming  darker  brown. 

lVinte7'Biids.—Tevm\n7y\  buds  ovate,  slightly  flattened,  one-third 
of  an  inch  long,  covered  with  silky  tomentum.  Axillary  buds  obtuse, 
one-eighth  of  an  inch  long,  covered  with  silky  tomentum  ;  two  to  four 
together. 

Wood. — Dark  purplish  brown;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained,  strong 
Very  durable  in  contact  with  the  soil;  used  for  furniture,  interior 
finishing  of  houses,  gunstocks.  Sp.  gr. ,  0.61 15  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft., 
38.11  lbs. 

Leaves.— A\\.txx\2i\.t,  compound,  unequally  pmnate,  often  equally 
pinnate,  one  to  two  feet  long.  Fifteen  to  twenty-three  leaflets. 
Leaflets  ovate-lanceolate,  three  to  three  and  a  half  inches  in  length, 
often  unequal  at  base,  serrate,  long-pointed,  and  sessile  on  the  cen- 
tral stem.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  shining,  yellow  green,  smooth 
above,  tomentose  beneath,  when  full  grown  arc  thin,  bright  yellow 
green,  smooth.  In  autumn  they  turn  bright  yellow  and  fall  early. 
Petioles  minutely  downy. 

269 


WALNUT    FAMILY 

Flowers. — May,  when  leaves  are  half  grown  ;  monoecious.  The 
catkins  of  staminate  flowers  appear  in  the  autumn  as  short  cone- 
like buds,  slightly  hairy,  solitary  or  in  pairs  ;  when  mature  are  three 
to  five  inches  long.  The  perianth,  subtended  by  an  acute  triangu- 
lar bract,  coated  with  tomentum,  is  six-lobed;  lobes  imbricate, 
nearly  orbicular.  Stamens  twenty  to  thirty,  arranged  in  several 
rows,  with  purple  anthers  surmounted  by  slightly  lobed  connectives. 
Pistillate  flowers  are  borne  in  a  two  to  five-flowered  spike,  ovate, 
pointed,  maturing  later  than  the  staminate.  The  bract  and  bract- 
lets  which  form  the  outer  covering  of  the  flower  are  green  and  hairy 
above,  covered  with  pale  hairs  beneath,  sometimes  cut  into  a 
laciniate  border,  sometimes  undivided,  sometimes  greatly  reduced. 
Calyx  four-lobed;  lobes  imbricate,  acute,  light  green,  hairy.  Styles 
two;  stigmas  recurved,  yellow  green,  tinged  with  red.  Ovary  in- 
ferior, ovule  solitary. 

Fruit. — Nut  inclosed  in  an  indehiscent  involucre,  making  a  kind 
of  dry  drupe,  soUtary  or  in  pairs,  globose  or  slightly  pyriform,  yel- 
low green,  roughly  dotted,  one  and  a  half  to  two  inches  in  diameter. 
The  nut  is  oval  or  oblong,  slightly  flattened,  without  sutural  ridges, 
one  and  a  quarter  to  one  and  a  half  inches  in  length,  dark  brown, 
four-celled  at  top  and  bottom.  Kernel  sweet  and  edible.  Cotyle- 
dons deeply  lobed. 

The  Black  Walntit  growing  alone  is  one  of  the  grandest 
and  most  massive  trees  of  our  flora.  Given  a  rich  soil  and 
ample  space,  "  it  equals  in  the  boldness  of  its  ramifications 
and  the  amplitude  of  its  head  the  best  specimens  of  the  oak 
or  chestnut."  Its  lower  branches  often  sweep  the  ground, 
while  its  upper  tower  sixty  or  seventy  feet  into  the  air.  Then, 
too,  its  plumy  yellow  green  foliage,  tufted  at  the  end  of  the 
spray,  long-petioled  and  narrow-leaved,  catches  and  throws 
the  sunlight  and  makes  of  its  very  shade  a  golden  glow. 

This  is  the  free  creature  protected  by  man.  In  the  forest 
living  under  the  law  of  competition  it  becomes  entirely  dif- 
ferent. There,  the  trunk  rises  straight  as  a  column  forty, 
fifty,  or  sixty  feet,  without  the  suggestion  of  a  branch,  and 
finally  puts  forth  a  narrow  round-topped  somewhat  rigid 
head, 

So  much  a  long  communion  tends 
To  make  us  what  we  are. 

A  single  Black  Walnut  will  lighten  a  dense  foliage  mass 
wonderfully  and  has  great  value  in  a  landscape  for  that  rea- 

270 


BLACK   WALNUT 


Black'  Walnut,  J/iglans  nigra. 

Leaves  12'  to  24'  long.     Leaflets  3'  to  }%'  long. 


WALNUT    FAMILY 

son.  The  objection  to  the  tree  is  that  the  leaves  are  late  in 
coming  out  in  the  spring  and  fall  early  in  the  autumn  so  that 
it  often  stands  naked  when  its  neighbors  are  apparently  in 
full  leaf  ;  moreover,  it  is  the  host  of  many  caterpillars. 

The  bark  of  the  trunk  is  very  dark  and  the  branches  seen 
in  contrast  with  the  light  foliage  look  positively  black.  The 
walnut  grows  more  rapidly  than  is  generally  supposed,  and 
had  there  been  reasonable  care  in  cutting  only  the  large  trees 
and  protecting  the  small  ones,  it  need  never  have  become  as 
rare  as  it  now  is.  The  nut  cannot  compare  in  flavor  and 
sweetness  with  that  of  the  European  species,^but  the  wood  is 
far  superior. 

During  the  tertiary  period  many  species  of  walnut  w^ere 
abundant  in  Europe  ;  now  the  genus  is  native  only  in  America 
and  Asia. 

The  European  Walnut,  Juglaus  regia^  is  a  native  of  Persia, 
the  home  of  the  peach  and  the  apricot.  It  was  known  to  the 
Greeks  whose  names  for  it  were  Persicon  and  Basilicon,  the 
Persian  and  royal  nut.  Curiously  enough,  it  was  the  fruit  of 
the  walnut  and  not  of  the  oak  that  the  Romans  called  the 
acorn.  When  Ovid  tells  us  that  the  people  of  the  golden 
age  lived  upon 

Acorns  that  had  fallen 
From  the  towering  tree  of  Jove, 

he  had  in  mind  not  Qitercus,  the  oak,  but  Juglans^  the  wal- 
nut. 

Cowley,  in  his  poem  on  Plants,  says  : 

The  walnut  then  approached,  more  large  ahd  tall 
Her  fruit  which  we  a  nut,  the  gods  an  acorn  call  ; 
Jove's  acorn,  which  does  no  small  praise  confess, 
To  have  called  it  man's  ambrosia  had  been  less. 

By  the  Greeks  it  was  highly  esteemed  and  dedicated  to 
Diana  whose  festivals  were  held  beneath  its  shade.  The 
Greeks  and  Romans  strewed  walnuts  at  their  weddings,  and 
Horace,  Virgil,  and  Catullus  allude  to  the  custom.  Spenser 
mentions  walnuts  as  employed  in  Christmas  games. 

272 


BLACK    WALNUT 


Trunk  of  Black  W-ilnui,  Jug/aiis  nigra. 


WALNUT    FAMILY 

For  some  reason  the  ancTents  thought:  the  shade  of  the 
wahiut  unwholesome  to  men  and  plants.  It  is  certain  that 
neither  grass,  field,  nor  garden  crops  thrive  well  under  the 
walnut.  The  explanation  given  is  that  the  injury  comes 
from  the  decaying  of  the  fallen  leaves  and  the  washing  into 
the  soil  of  their  astringent  properties ;  if  such  is  the  case  the 
evil  may  be  averted  by  raking  them  up  and  carrying  them 
away  as  soon  as  they  fall. 

BUTTERNUT.     WHITE   WALNUT 

Jugiaus  cinerca. '  ,       '-■'■•  •'. 

Common.  Prefers  rich  moist  lowlands,  and  fertile  hills.  Usually 
fifty  to  seventy  feet  high,  with  broad,  spreading,  horizontal  branches 
forming  a  low  symmetrical  head.  Deep  perpendicular  roots,  with 
a  few,  thick,  fibrous  rootlets. 

Bark. — Light  grayish  brown,  deeply  divided  into  broad  ridges 
which  separate  on  the  surface  into  small  plate-like  scales.  Young 
trunks  and  branches,  smooth  and  light  gray.  Branchlets  at  first 
orange  brown  or  bright  green,  coated  with  rusty  clammy  hairs,  be- 
coming later  light  gray.      Contains  tannic  acid. 

Wood . — Light  brown  ;  light,  soft,  coarse-grained  and  not  strong. 
Will  take  a  beautiful  polish  ;  used  for.furniture  and  interior  of  houses. 
Sp.  gr.,  0.4086  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  25.46  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Terminal  buds  hairy,  somewhat  flattened,  one-hali 
to  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in  length.  Axillary  buds  hairy,  ovate, 
flattened,  rounded  at  the  apex,  one-eighth  of  an  inch  long,  in  groups 
of  three  or  four,  almost  naked.  Inner  scales  enlarge  when  spring 
growth  begins. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  compound,  unequally  pinnate,  often  equally 
pinnate,  fifteen  to  thirty  inches  long,  hairy,  with  eleven  to  seventeen 
leaflets.  Leaflets  oblong-lanceolate,  three  to  five  inches  long,  one 
and  a  half  to  two  inches  wide,  unequally  rounded  at  base,  serrate, 
acute  or  acuminate,  sessile  or  short  petioled,  the  terminal  leaf- 
let often  borne  on  a  stalk  two  inches  in  length.  They  come  out  of 
the  bud  yellow  green  and  sticky,  shining  and  scurfy  above,  hairy  be- 
low ;  when  full  grown  thin,  yellow  green,  pale  ;  midribs  rounded 
above,  primary  veins  conspicuous.  In  autumn  they  turn  yellow- 
Stipules  wanting.      Petioles  downy  with  clammy  hairs. 

Flowers. — May,  when  the  leaves  are  half  grown  ;  monoecious. 
The  catkins  of  staminate  flowers  appear  in  the  autumn  as  short  cone- 
like buds  covered  with  pale  tomentum  ;  when  mature  they  are  from 
three  to   five  inches   long.     The   perianth,    subtended  by  an  acute 

274 


BUTTERNUT 


rniil  "1'  Ihc  Bhu-k  Walnut  and  ni  the  nutlcnuil. 


WALNUT   FAMILY 

hairy  bract,  is  one-fourth  inch  long,  bright  yellow  green,  slightly 
hairy,  usually  six-lobed,  the  side  lobes  bearing  tufts  of  brown  hairs. 
Stamens  from  eight  to  twelve,  with  nearly  sessile  dark  brown  an- 
thers, surmounted  by  darker  connectives.  Pistillate  flowers  are 
borne  in  six  to  eight-flowered  spikes  ;  one-third  of  an  inch  long,  ma- 
turing later  than  the  staminate.  The  bract  and  bractlets  which 
form  the  outer  covering  of  the  flowers  are  coated  with  white  or  pink 
glandular  hairs  ;  bract  linear  and  acute  ;  bractlets  ovate,  acute  or 
laciniate  ;  calyx  four-lobed  ;  lobes  imbricate,  linear,  hairy  ;  styles 
two  ;  stigmas  two,  fringed,  spreading,  bright  red,  half  an  inch  long. 
Ovary  inferior,  ovule  solitary. 

Fruit. — Nut  closed  in  an  indehiscent  involucre,  making  a  kind  of 
dry  drupe.  Three  or  five  often  ripen  on  one  branch.  Cylindrical, 
obscurely  two  to  four-ridged,  ovate-oblong,  pointed,  coated  with 
rusty  clammy  hairs,  one-half  to  two  and  one-half  inches  long.  Nut 
is  brown,  ovate,  acute  at  apex,  deeply  sculptured  and  rough  w^ith 
ragged  ridges,  two-celled  at  base.  Kernel  sweet  and  pleasant  but 
very  oily  and  soon  becomes  rancid.     Cotyledons  ovate-oblong. 

The  Butternut  when  young-  much  resembles  the  Black  Wal- 
nut. It  is,  perhaps,  more  generally  distributed.  The  form  of 
the  fruit  differs  greatly  from  that  of  the  Black  Walnut,  being 
oblong,  oval,  and  narrowed  to  a  point  at  the  end.  The  husk 
is  covered  with  a  sticky  gum  and  when  green  is  used  domes- 
tically to  dye  a  dull  yellow.  The  surface  of  the  nut  is  much 
rougher  than  that  of  any  other  of  the  walnut  genus.  The 
bark  is  lighter  gray  than  that  of  the  Black  Walnut,  and  the 
ridges  are  very  much  broader.  The  leaves  are  very  similar 
in  general  appearance,  but  the  petiole  of  the  Butternut  leaf 
is  covered  with  clammy  hairs  as  are  the  young  branchlets. 


HICKORY 

Hicoria.      Cdrya. 

The  name  Carya  was  applied  by  the  Greeks  to  the  common  walnut,  in  honor 
of  Carya,  daughter  of  Dion,  King  of  Laconia,  who  was  changed  by  Bacchus  into 
that  tree.  Diana  had  the  surname  of  Caryata  from  the  town  of  Carya  in  La- 
conia where  her  rites  were  always  celebrated  in  the  open  air  under  the  shade  of 
a  walnut  tree.  Plutarch  says  the  name  of  Carya  was  applied  to  the  walnut  tree 
from  the  effect  of  the  smell  of  the  leaves  on  the  head. 

— LOUDON. 

Hickory  is  derived  from  the  Indian  name  of  the  liquor  obtained  by  pound- 
ing the  kernels.    These  the  Indians  beat  into  pieces  with  stones  and  putting  them, 

276 


BUTTERNUT 


Butternut.  J/iohv/s  ciiierca. 

Leaves   15'  to  5c/  long.     Leaflets  3'  to  =,'  Ions; 


WALNUT    FAMILY 

shells  and  all,  into  mortars,  mingling  water  with  them,  with  long  wooden  pestells 
pound  them  so  long  together  untill  they  make  a  kind  of  mylke,  or  oylie  liquor, 
which  they  call  powcohicora. 

— Historic  of  Travnile  into  Virginia  Britannia. 


The  Hickories,  of  which  there  are  nine  species  on  this  con- 
tinent, are  strictly  American  trees,  no  representatives  of  the 
genus  having  been  found  elsewhere.  They 
are  closely  allied  to  the  walnuts;  the  chief 
botanic  distinction  between  them  lies  in  the 
husk  which  in  the  Hickories  separates  into 
four  pieces  and  discharges  the  nut,  instead  of 
adhering  in  an  unbroken  coat  upon  it  as  is 
the  case  with  the  Black  Walnut  and  the  But- 
ternut. 

All  the  Hickories  have  alternate,  exstipu- 
late,  compound  leaves  of  five,  seven,  nine  or 
eleven  leaflets,  and  although  the  leaves  vary 
considerably  they  have  a  common  typical 
form  well  expressed  by  Hicoria  ovata^  the 
Shellbark.  All  have  stout  perpendicular  tap- 
roots and  thick  fibrous  rootlets  as  well.  Like 
the  oaks  they  take  strong  hold  of  the  earth. 
The  noticeable  quality  of  the  wood  is  its 
strength  and  elasticity  as  well  as  its  fuel 
value,  but  it  decays  when  subjected  to  alter- 
nations of  wet  and  dry. 

The  flowers  are  monoecious  and  apetalous, 
appearing  after  the  leaves  are  well  grown. 
The  staminate  flowers  appear  in  aments 
which  are  borne  in  threes  on  a  common 
peduncle  which  is  produced  either  from  the 
terminal  bud  or  from  the  lateral  buds  in  the 
axils  of  last  year's  leaves.  The  staminate 
flowers  consist  of  a  two,  sometimes  three- 
lobed  calyx,  subtended  by  an  elongated  bract 
which  is  free  nearly  to  the  base,  usually  much  longer  than 
the   ovate,    rounded    calyx-lobes.     The    corolla    is    wanting. 

278 


Staminate  Aments  of 
Shellbark  Hickory, 
Hicoria  ovata  ;  4' 
to  5'  long. 


HICKORY 

The  stamens  vary  from  three  to  ten,  are  inserted  on  the 
slightly  thickened  inner  and  lower  face  of  the  calyx.  Fila- 
ments short,  free  ;  anthers  oblong,  two-celled  ;  cells  opening 
longitudinally.     The  ovary  is  wanting. 

The  pistillate  flowers  appear  in  a  two  to  ten-flowered  clus- 
ter, borne  on  a  peduncle  which  is  terminal  on  a  leafy  branch 
of  the  year.  The  calyx  consists  of  a  single  lobe.  The 
stamens  are  wanting.  The  ovary  is  inferior,  one-celled, 
inclosed  in  a  slightly  four-ridged  involucre  formed  by  the 
union  of  the  chief  bract  and  two  smaller  bracts  ;  the  bract 
much  larger  than  the  calyx-lobe  and  the  bractlets.  The 
ovule  is  solitary. 

The  fruit  is  a  nut  inclosed  in  a  four-valved  involucre. 
This  nut  varies  in  size  and  shape  but  when  once  known  is 
readily  recognized  under  all  its  protean  forms.  That  of  the 
Shellbark  is  typical  of  them  all. 

The  autumn  color  of  the  leaves  is  a  clear  bright  yellow  ; 
the  leaflets  frequently  separate  from  the  petiole  in  falling. 

The  Hickories  range  from  the  valley  of  the  St.  Lawrence 
to  the  mountains  of  Mexico  and  traces  of  the  genus  are 
found  in  the  tertiary  rocks  of  Greenland,  also  in  the  upper 
tertiary  formations  of  Europe.  There  is  a  prevailing  opinion 
that  they  are  difficult  to  rear  and,  to  a  degree,  this  is  true, 
for  the  seedlings  need  protection  against  the  wind  and  the 
sun.  But  when  this  is  given  they  flourish,  and  a  well  grown 
hickory  is  a  tree  of  great  dignity  and  beauty. 

BITTERNUT.     SWAMP  HICKORY 

Hicoria  !iilni»ia.      Cdiya   iiiiiara. 

Widely  distributed,  but  absent  from  the  mountains  of  New  York 
and  New  England,  abundant  throughout  the  Mississippi  valley. 
Prefers  low  wet  woods,  borders  of  streams  and  swamps,  but  is  often 
found  on  high  uplands  remote  from  streams.  Reaches  the  height 
of  one  hundred  feet,  has  a  tall  straight  trunk,  stout  spreading  limbs 
and  forms  a  broad  handsome  head.  Grows  most  rapidly  of  all  the 
hickories. 

279 


WALNUT    FAMILY 

Bark. — Light  grayish  brown  tinged  with  red,  broken  into  thin 
plate-Hke  scales.  In  old  trees  very  rugged.  Branchlets  slender, 
marked  with  pale  lenticels,  at  first  bright  green,  downy,  later  become 
reddish  brown,  during  the  first  winter  reddish  or  orange  brown, 
shining,  with  small,  elevated,  obscurely  three-lobed  leaf-scars,  in  the 
second  year  dark  or  light  gray. 

Wood. — Dark  or  light  brown,  sapwood  much  paler  ;  heavy,  hard, 
close-grained,  tough  and  strong.  Used  for  cooperage  and  for  fuel. 
Sp.  gr. ,  0.7552  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  47.06  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Terminal  buds  one-third  to  three-fourths  of  an 
inch  long,  compressed,  narrow  oval,  oblique  at  apex.  Lateral  buds 
much  smaller.  Inner  scales  enlarge  when  spring  growth  begins,  the 
innermost  becoming  an  inch  and  a  half  long  and  half  an  inch  broad, 
strap-shaped,  pinnate  at  the  apex,  one  and  a  half  inch  long,  one-half 
inch  broad,  yellow  green,  downy. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  compound,  six  to  ten  inches  long.  Leaflets 
seven  to  eleven,  lanceolate,  ovate-lanceolate,  or  oblong,  often  un- 
equally wedge-shaped  or  partly  cordate  at  base,  sessile  with  the  ex- 
ception of  the  terminal  leaflet,  serrate,  acute  or  acuminate.  Leaflet 
vernation  involute.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  bright  yellow  green 
or  bronze  red,  shining,  hairy  and  tomentose  ;  when  full  grown  are 
thick,  firm,  dark  yellow  green  above,  paler  beneath  ;  midribs  prom- 
inent. In  autumn  they  turn  clear  or  rusty  yellow.  Petioles  slender, 
hairy,  slightly  grooved. 

Flowers. — May,  June,  when  leaves  are  half  grown  ;  monoecious. 
Staminate  flowers,  green,  borne  in  triple  catkins,  three  or  four 
inches  long.  Common  peduncle  about  an  inch  long  ;  stamens  four; 
anthers  yellow  ;  bract  longer  than  calyx  lobes.  Pistillate  flowers 
one-half  inch  long,  slightly  angled,  covered  with  yellow  tomentum. 
Bract  lanceolate,  hairy  ;  bractlets  broadly  ovate,  shorter  than  the 
calyx  lobes  ;  stigmas  pale  green,  mature  and  wither  before  the 
staminate  flowers  open. 

Fruit. — Obovate  or  globular,  three-fourths  to  one  and  one-half 
inches  long,  with  four  wings  or  ridges  from  the  apex  to  the  middle 
which  mark  the  valves,  apex  shows  the  remnants  of  the  stigmas, 
surface  more  or  less  thickly  covered  with  golden  scurfy  pubescence, 
and  marked  on  inner  surface  with  dark  veins.  Nut  ovate  or  oblong, 
compressed,  marked  at  base  with  dark  lines,  gray  with  reddish  tinge. 
Kernel  very  bitter.     October. 

Distingtdshing  Characters. — Winter  buds  bright  yellow,  bud  scales 
valvate.  Leaflets  seven  to  eleven,  lanceolate  to  oblong-lanceolate. 
Fruit  four-winged  from  apex  nearly  to  the  middle  ;  nut  often  broader 
than  long,  thin-shelled,  slightly  four-angled,  kernel  bitter. 

The  Swamp  Hickory  or  Bitternut  has  the  smallest  leaflets 
of  any  of  the  hickories  ;  they  are  narrow,  almost  slender,  and 
suggest  willow  leaves  in  their  contour.     They  are  a  distin- 

280 


BITTERNUT 


Bittenuit,  Hicona  mi  in  ma. 
Leaves  6'  to   lo'  long.     Leaflets  z'  to  4'  long. 


WALNUT    FAMILY 


guishing  character  and  differ  in  general  aspect  from  those 
of  the  other  hickories.  The  fruit  also  is  individual,  four 
ridges  or  wings  reach  from  the  apex 
half  way  to  the  base  ;  sometimes  two 
of  these  reach  the  base,  all  of  them 
never.  The  kernel  is  extremely  bit- 
ter. 

This  species  loves  the  water  and  in 
Ohio  should  be  sought  at  the  mar- 
gins of  streams,  but  in  the  south  it 
changes  its  nature  and  crowds  upon 
the  poor,  dry,  gravelly  soil  of  Ala- 
bama and  Mississippi.  It  grows  rap- 
idly for  a  hickory,  but  the  entire  fam- 
ily are  slow  of  growth. 
The  nuts  should  be  planted  wiiere  they  are  to  grow,  as  the 
trees  are  difficult  to  transplant. 


Bitternut,  Hicoiia  mitiima 
y^'  to  i>^'  long. 


Fruit 


SHELLBARK  HICKORY.     SHAGBARK 

Ilicoria  ovata.      Cdrya  alba. 

Shagbark  refers  to  the  loose  shaggy  appearance  of  the  bark,  and  as 
this  peels  of^  easily  the  tree  is  also  known  as  Shellbark. 


Not  abundant  in  New  England,  reaches  its  largest  size  in  the  val- 
ley of  the  Ohio.  In  the  forest  attains  the  height  of  one  hundred 
feet  with  a  straight  columnar  trunk.  Prefers  a  deep,  rich,  rather 
moist  soil.  Its  tap  root  is  very  large  and  vigorous,  and  the  tree  is 
best  reared  directly  from  the  nut. 

Bark. — Dark  gray,  separates  into  strips  often  three  feet  or  more 
long,  three  to  eight  inches  wide,  which  cling  to  the  trunk  usually  by 
the  middle  giving  it  a  rough  shaggy  appearance.  On  young  stems 
and  branches  smooth  and  light  green.  Branchlets  stout,  at  first 
green,  slightly  angled,  downy  and  covered  with  brown  scurf,  during 
first  year  reddish  or  light  gray,  smooth  and  shining,  later  becoming 
dark  gray,  finally  light  gray.  Leaf-scars  are  ovate  to  semi-orbicular 
or  very  obscurely  three-lobed,  pale. 

Wood. — Light  brown,  sapwood  nearly  white;  heavy,  tough,  close- 
grained  and  extremely  clastic.      Used  in  manufacture  of  agricultural 


SHELLBARK   HICKORY 

implements,  carriages,  axe-handles,  hoops.     Best  fuel  of  American 
woods.     Sp.  gr.,  0.8372  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  52.17  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Terminal  buds  are  broadly  ovate,  obtuse,  one-half 
to  three-fourths  inch  long,  one-third  to  one-half  inch  broad,  three  to 
four  outer  scales  are  broadly  ovate,  dark  brown  and  usually  fall  in 
late  autumn  or  early  winter.  The  inner  scales  enlarge  as  spring 
growth  begins,  the  innermost  becoming  two  and  one-half  to  three 
inches  long,  an  inch  to  one  and  one-half  inches  broad,  oblong-obovate, 
yellow  green  tinged  with  red,  downy,  and  persist  until  leaves  are  half 
grown. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  eight  to  fourteen  inches  long,  compound,  of 
five,  rarely  seven,  leaflets.  Leaflets  vary  in  size.  The  terminal  one 
is  decurrent  upon  a  short  stalk,  the  others  are  sessile.  Terminal 
one  is  obovate,  wedge-shaped  at  base,  serrate,  acute,  the  lower  pair 
of  leaflets  are  much  smaller  than  the  second  pair.  The  leaflets  of 
the  second  pair  are  obovate  and  often  equal  the  terminal  leaflet  in 
size.  Leaflet  vernation  is  involute.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  thin, 
shining,  light  yellow  green,  woolly  coated  ;  when  full  grown  are  dark 
yellow  green,  smooth  above,  paler  yellow  green  sometimes  downy 
below  ;  midrib  prominent,  primary  veins  conspicuous.  In  autumn 
they  turn  a  rusty  yellow.  Petiole  stout,  smooth  or  hairy,  obscurely 
grooved  and  enlarged  at  the  base. 

Flowers. — May,  when  the  leaves  are  well  grown.  Monoecious. 
Staminate  catkins  three  in  a  group,  slender,  light  green,  hairy,  four 
to  five  inches  long  ;  common  peduncle  often  an  inch  long  ;  bracts 
linear-lanceolate,  caducous.  Staminate  flowers  are  hairy,  borne  on 
short  pedicels  ;  bracts  long,  acute,  ovate-lanceolate,  much  longer 
than  the  calyx.  Stamens  four  ;  anthers  nearly  sessile,  yellow  tinged 
with  red.  Pistillate  flowers  in  two  or  five-flowered  spikes,  brownish, 
tomentose  ;  bract  and  bractlets  green  and  hairy.  Stigmatic  lobes 
green,  do  not  mature  until  the  anthers  have  withered. 

Fruit. — Solitary  or  in  pairs,  globular,  longer  than  broad,  or 
slightly  obovate,  depressed  at  the  apex,  crowned  with  the  remnants 
of  the  stigmas,  dark  reddish  brown  or  black,  one  inch  to  two  and  a 
half  inches  long  ;  husk  four-valved,  splits  freely,  usually  one-half 
inch  thick,  hard,  woody  and  pale  within.  Nut  varies  from  oblong  to 
a  form  broader  than  long,  compressed,  clearly  or  obscurely  four- 
ridged  which  corresponds  to  the  valve  of  the  husk,  acute  or  rounded 
at  apex,  tipped  with  a  point,  pale  or  brownish  white.  Kernel  sweet 
with  aromatic  flavor.     October. 

Distinguishijig  Characters. — Bud  scales  imbricate  ;  leaflets  five 
to  seven,  obovate  to  oblong-lanceolate.  Catkins  of  staminate  flowers 
borne  on  branches  of  the  year  only.  Fruit  spherical,  depressed  at 
apex,  without  wings  ;  nut  ovate,  more  or  less  flattened,  four-angled, 
pale  or  nearly  white,  kernel  sweet.  Bark  hanging  in  long,  loose 
plates. 

The  squirrel  on  the  shingly  shagbark's  bough 
Now  saws,  now  lists  with  downward  eye  and  ear 
Then  drops  his  nut. 

—James  Russell  Lowell. 
2S3 


WALNUT   FAMILY 

The  Shellbark  Hickory  has  three  typical  forms.  When  it 
grows  in  the  forest  it  rises  a  tall  shaft  straight  as  a  column, 
free  from  branches  until  the  very  top  where  it  sends  out  a 
few  limbs  and  makes  a  small  flat  head  ;  again,  when  a  young 
tree  has  been  permitted  to  remain  after  its  companions  were 
removed  its  stout  limbs  rise  and  spread,  droop  a  little  and 
make  a  cone-like  head  ;  the  third  form,  however,  seems  the 
really  characteristic  one,  where  the  central  shaft  rises  in 
the  main  intact,  but  sends  out  many  short,  small,  lateral 
branches  almost  at  right  angles  to  the  trunk,  and  forms  a 
long  cylindrical  body  of  foliage,  round-topped  at  the  summit 
and  drooping  a  little  at  the  base.  This  cylindrical  body  is 
often  broken. 

Other  trees  hold  their  bark  loosely,  the  Silver  Maple  often 
looks  as  if  she  would  be  glad  to  be  rid  of  hers,  the  Sycamore 
frankly  and  absolutely  casts  hers  and  is  done  with  it,  but  the 
Shellbark,  letting  "  I  dare  not  wait  upon  I  would,"  holds  hers 
in  long  unsightly  pieces,  loose  at  the  edges  yet  clinging  at 
the  centre  until  the  trunk  becomes  simply  shaggy,  hence  the 
name  Shagbark. 

A  Shellbark  just  about  to  put  forth  its  leaves  presents 
a  unique  and  striking  appearance,  as  if  covered  with  brilliant 
flowers.  Early  in  the  spring  the  outer  bud  scales  fall  off 
and  the  inner  scales  enlarge  to  an  astonishing  size,  frequently 
becoming  five  inches  long  and  two  inches  broad.  They  are 
then  of  a  soft  leathery  texture,  very  downy,  beautifully 
fringed  and  take  on  a  gorgeous  red  or  salmon  yellow  color. 
In  the  midst  of  these  petal-like  scales  appear  the  leaves, 
woolly  and  dowuiy  and  shining,  late  indeed  but  not  belated, 
for  they  grow  rapidly  and  by  the  end  of  June  are  of  full  size. 
Out  of  this  terminal  bud  come  the  pistillate  flowers  always, 
and  the  staminate  flowers  very  frequently. 

The  wood  is  light,  tough,  strong  and  elastic.  "Tough  as 
hickory  "  became  a  stock  phrase  among  the  early  settlers  of 
this  country.  The  well-known  sobriquet  given  to  President 
Jackson  was  "  Old  Hickory,"  and  this  name  was  no  less  an 
expression  of  personal  affection  than  of  appreciation  of  his 

284 


SHELLBARK    HICKORY 


Fruiting-  Spray  of  Sliellhirk  Hickury,  Hicona  ovaLi. 

Leaves  S'  to  14'  long. 


WALNUT   FAMILY 

character.  The  excellence  of  the  American  axe  is  believed 
to  be  due  quite  as  much  to  the  handle  of  hickory  as  to  the 
quality  of  its  steel. 

Hickory  nuts  were  highly  appreciated  by  the  Indians. 
Bertram,  in  his  ''  Travels  in  North  America,"  relates  that  he 
had  seen  above  one  hundred  bushels  of  these  nuts  belonging 
to  a  single  family.  The  Indian  name  of  the  nut  appears  in 
English  as  Kiskitomas,  Kiskytom,  and,  according  to  Michaux, 
Kiskythomas.  All  are  believed  to  be  corruptions  of  an  Indian 
word  Kwaskadamenne  which  means  that  it  "  must  be  cracked 
with  the  teeth."  Since  this  fruit  is  so  excellent  in  its  natural 
state  one  cannot  help  thinking  what  it  might  become  were  it 
improved  by  systematic  cultivation. 

The  Big  Shellbark,  Hicoria  laciuibsa^  is  a  tree  reaching  the 
height  of  sixty  or  seventy  feet.  The  bark  is  loose,  leaflets 
seven  to  nine,  fruit  four-ribbed  above  the  middle,  husk  very 
thick,  nut  large.  It  may  be  known  by  the  orange  color  of 
the  young  branchlels.  Ranges  from  Pennsylvania  through 
central  and  western  New  York  to  Indiana  and  Illinois  and 
southward  to  the  Indian  Territory. 


MOCKERNUT.     BIG  BUD   HICKORY 

Hicoria  alba.      Cdrya  tomeiitbsa. 

Rare  in  New  England,  abundant  in  the  middle  west  and  south- 
west. Prefers  rich  uplands,  but  will  grow  in  sandy  soil ;  is  the  only 
hickory  found  in  the  maritime  Pine-belt  of  the  southern  states. 
Rises  high  in  the  forest  as  do  all  the  hickories,  but  when  growing 
alone  becomes  abroad  round-topped  tree.  Leaves,  buds,  and  husks 
have  a  strong  resinous  odor. 

Bark. — Light  or  dark  gray,  with  shallow  fissures  and  closely  ap- 
pressed  scales.  In  old  trees  it  becomes  very  rugged.  Branchlets 
stout,  terete,  at  first  slightly  angled,  tomentose,  during  first  year 
bright  red  brown  marked  with  conspicuous  lenticels,  in  winter  with 
large  pale  leaf-scars,  which  are  equally  lobed  or  with  middle  lobe 
two  or  three  times  as  long  as  the  others  ;  in  the  second  year  the 
branches  become  light  or  dark  gray. 

286 


SHELLBARK   HICKORY 


Trunk  of  Shellbark  Hickory,  Hicoria  ov 


'at  a. 


WALNUT    FAMILY 


IVoo^.—Durk  brown,  sapwood  nearly  white  ;  heavy,  hard,  strong, 
close-grained,  tough,  elastic.  Confounded  commercially  with  that 
of  the  Shellbark  hickories.  Sp.  gr.,  0.8218  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  51.21 
lbs. 

] Visiter  Buds.—i:Q\mm2i\  buds  one-half  to  three-fourth  of  an  inch 
long,  broadly  ovate,  acute  or  obtuse,  two  or  three  times  as  large  as 
the  axillary  bud.  The  three  or  four  outer  scales  are  ovate,  acute, 
often  keeled,  dark  reddish  brown  and  often  fall  late  in  autumn  or 
early  winter.  The  innermost  scales  enlarge  when  spring  growth 
begins  becoming  one  and  a  half  inches  long  and  half  an  inch  wide, 
ovate,  pale  green  without  and  bright  red  within,  downy,  persist  until 
the  leaf  is  half  grown. 

Z^<^7/^j".— Alternate,  compound,  eight  to  twelve  inches  long.  Leaf- 
lets seven  to  nine,  oblong-lanceolate  or  obovate-lanceolate,  equally 
or  unequally  rounded  or  wedge-shaped  at  base,  serrate,  acute  or 
acuminate.  Usually  sessile  except  the  terminal  leaflet  which  is  de- 
current  on  a  short  stalk.  Upper  leaflets  five  to  eight  inches  long. 
Leaflet  vernation  involute.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  thin,  pale 
yellow  green,  downy  ;  when  full  grown  are  dark  yellow  green,  shin- 
ing above,  pale  green  or  orange  or  brown  and  downy  beneath  ;  mi- 
drib stout,  prominent.  In  autumn  they  turn  a  clear  or  rusty  yellow. 
Flowers. — May,  when  leaves  are  half  grown.  Monoecious.  Stam- 
inate  flowers  are  borne  in  triple  catkins,  four  to  five  inches  in  length, 
slender,  green,  hairy.  Bracts  ovate-lanceolate,  hairy,  longer  than 
the  yellow  green  calyx.  Stamens  four  ;  anthers  bright  red.  Pistil- 
late flowers  in  two  to  five-flowered  tomentose  spikes.    Anterior  bract 

longer  than  the  bractlets  and  calyx- 
lobe.  Stigmas  dark  red  ;  begin  to 
wither  before  the  anthers  shed  their 
pollen. 

Fruit. — Spherical,  oblong  or  ob- 
ovate,  dark  reddish  brown,  one  and 
one-half  to  two  inches  long  ;  husk 
splitting  to  middle  or  nearly  to  base. 
Nut  spherical  or  oblong,  often  long- 
pointed,  four-ridged  toward  the  apex, 
pale  reddish  brown,  with  very  thick 
hard  shell  and  very  small  sweet  ker- 
nel.    October. 

Distinguish ing  Ch aracters .  — 
Buds  large,  bud  scales  imbricate. 
Staminate  catkins  borne  on  branches 
of  the  year,  Leaflets  seven  to  nine, 
oblong-lanceolate  or  obovate-lanceo- 
late, more  or  less  tomentose  on  un- 
der surface,  fragrant.  Fruit  with- 
ridges  ;  nut  globose,  or  oblong  often 
toward    apex,    thick-shelled,    reddish 


Mockernut,   Hicoria  alba. 
to  2'  lona;. 


Fruit   I  ■ 


out  or  with  obscure  sutural 
long-pointed.  Four-ridged 
brown  ;  kernel  sweet. 


288 


MOCKERNUT 


Mockernut,  Hicoria  alba. 

Leaves  8'  to   12'  long. 


WALNUT   FAMILY 

Hicoria  alba  evidently  gained  the  common  name  Mocker- 
nut  because  of  the  disappointing  character  of  its  nuts.  These 
are  usually  of  large  size  and  look  like  Shellbark  nuts,  but  they 
keep  their  promise  to  the  sight  only  to  break  it  to  the  hope, 
for  the  kernel  is  very  small  and  very  difficult  to  extract. 

The  Mockernut  varies  toward  the  Shellbark  on  one  side 
and  the  Pignut  on  the  other.  In  its  foliage  it  resembles  the 
Shellbark,  in  its  bark  it  resembles  the  Pignut.  Its  distin- 
guishing characters  are  its  nuts,  its  large  leaves  of  seven  to 
nine  leaflets,  its  large  terminal  bud  and  the  pleasant  resinous 
fragrance  of  its  leaves. 

PIGNUT 

Hicoria  glabra.      Cdjya  porcma.      Cdrya  microcdrpa. 

Common  throughout  the  northern  states,  ranges  south  as  far  as 
Florida  and  southwest  to  Texas.  Prefers  dry  ridges  and  hillsides, 
but  tolerates  many  different  conditions.  Rises  to  a  hundred  feet  in 
the  forest,  but  in  the  open  is  shorter,  with  a  narrow  head  of  slender, 
sometimes  pendulous  branches.  Has  the  stout  tap  roots  of  all  the 
hickories. 

^<7r>('.  — Light  gray  with  shallow  fissures  and  close  appressed  scales, 
rarely  exfoliate.  Branchlets  slender,  marked  with  pale  lenticels,  at 
first  slightly  angled,  pale  green,  scurfy  or  downy  ;  later  they  become 
light  red  brown,  smooth,  and  finally  turn  dark  gray.  The  leaf-scars 
are  comparatively  small,  semiorbicular  to  oblong,  obscurely  lobed, 
slightly  emarginate  at  apex. 

Wood. — Either  dark  or  light  brown,  sapwood  nearly  white  ;  heavy, 
hard,  close-grained,  tough  and  elastic.  Largely  used  in  the  manu- 
facture of  agricultural  implements.  Sp.  gr. ,  0.8217  '■>  weight  of  cu. 
ft.,  51.21  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Terminal  buds  one-fourth  to  one-half  of  an  inch 
long,  narrow-oval,  acute,  or  obtuse,  two  or  three  times  as  large  as 
the  axillary  buds.  The  outer  scales  are  acute,  often  slightly  keeled, 
frequently  long  pointed  at  apex,  reddish  brown,  beginning  to  unfold 
early  in  autumn,  frequently  fall  before  winter  or  early  in  spring. 
The  inner  scales  increase  in  size  when  spring  growth  begins,  fre- 
quently becoming  two  and  a  half  inches  long,  and  one  and  one-fourth 
inch  wide,  lanceolate  to  obovate,  yellow  green,  more  or  less  tinged 
with  red,  downy  and  persistent  until  the  leaf  is  half  grown. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  compound,  eight  to  twelve  inches  long.  Leaf- 
lets five  to  seven,  rarely  nine.     Variety  microcarpa  habitually  five. 

290 


PIGNUT 


Fruiting  Spray  of  Pignut,  Huoria  glabra  {Catya  porana). 

Leaves  8'  to  12'  long. 


WALNUT    FAMILY 

Terminal  leaflet  larger  than  the  others,  often  decurrent  on  slender 
stalk.  Other  leaflets  are  oblong  to  obovate-lanceolate,  rounded 
equally  or  unequally  at  base,  sharply  serrate  with  incurved  teeth, 
acute  or  acuminate.  Leaflet  vernation  involute.  Upper  leaflets 
six  to  eight  inches  long,  two  to  two  and  one-half  broad,  the  lowest 
pair  much  smaller.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  bright  bronze  green, 
hairy  ;  when  full  grown  are  thick,  firm,  smooth,  dark  yellow  green 
above,  paler  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  clear  or  rusty  yellow. 
Petioles  slender,  usually  smooth,  grooved  slightly,  enlarged  at 
base. 

Flowers. — May,  June,  when  leaves  are  half  grown.  Monoecious. 
Staminate  flowers  borne  in  slender  catkins,  three  to  seven  inches 
long,  usually  three  catkins  on  one  stout  peduncle.  The  flowers  are 
on  short  pedicels,  yellow  green,  tomentose  ;  bract  lanceolate,  acute, 
hairy  ;  calyx-lobes  rounded,  ovate  ;  stamens  four,  anthers  nearly 
sessile,  dark  yellow.  Pistillate  flowers  in  a  two  to  five-flowered 
spike ;  bract  is  lanceolate,  acute  ;  bractlets  and  calyx  dark  green, 
hairy  ;  stigmas  yellow,  and  wither  before  the  anthers  shed  their 
pollen. 

Fruit. — Variable,  fig-form,  ellipsoidal,  subglobose,  rounded  or 
depressed  at  apex,  abruptly  or  gradually  narrowed  at  the  base,  often 
obscurely  winged  to  the  middle  or  entirely  to  the  base.  In  some 
forms  the  four  valves  open  and  discharge  the  nut,  in  others  they 
partly  open  and  retain  it.  Nut  is  oblong,  oval,  or  subglobose,  with 
smooth  hard  shell,  thick  or  thin.  Kernel  small,  sweet  or  slightly 
bitter. 

Distinguishing  Characters. — Bud  scales  imbricate  ;  staminate 
catkins  borne  on  branches  of  the  year.  Leaflets  five,  seven  or  nine, 
oblong  or  obovate-lanceolate.  Fruit  pyriform  or  globose;  husk 
thin,  slightly  ridged  at  the  sutures,  not  splitting  freely  to  the  base  ; 
nut  varying  in  form,  thick-shelled,  kernel  sweet  ;  bark  closely  fur- 
rowed, rarely  hanging  in  loose  plates. 

Hicoria  glabra  is  a  bfautiful  tree  and  certainly  worthy  of  a 
pleasanter  name  than  that  of  Pignut.  ]]ut  the  early  settlers 
of  this  country  judged  trees  by  the  standard  of  use  rather 
than  beauty  ;  and  as  the  fruit  of  this  tree  did  not  compare  fa- 
vorably with  that  of  the  Shellbark,  both  tree  and  fruit  were 
given  over  to  the  pigs  without  question.  However,  another 
explanation  of  the  name  is  given.  The  typical  shape  of  the 
fruit  is  pyriform,  it  looks  not  unlike  a  small  fig  and  it  has 
been  suggested  that  pignut  is  a  corrui)tion  of  fignut.  But 
there  seem  to  be  no  facts  upon  which  to  base  this  theory  as 
there  is  no  record  that  the  tree  w^as  ever  called  fignut,  and 
the  earliest  records  mention  it  as  pignut. 


PIGNUT 


Fruiting'  Spray  c»f  Pii^nut,  Hicoria  glabra  {Carva  luicrocarpa). 

Leaves  4'  to  -/  long. 


WALNUT   FAMILY 

Hicoria  glabra  now  includes  Carya  microcarpa  and  Carya 
porcitia  of  Gray.  In  the  species  as  now  constituted  the  fruit 
varies  greatly  in  form,  being  oval  or  globular  as  well  as  pyri- 
form.  The  husk  is  always  thin,  smooth,  often  obscurely 
winged,  and  divided  into  four  unequal  valves.  The  kernel  at 
first  is  sweet  to  the  taste,  but  finally  bitter. 

The  number  of  leaflets  varies  from  five  to  seven.  In  the 
variety  C.  microcarpa  the  leaflets  are  five  and  the  leaf  as  a 
whole  is  a  small  but  faithful  copy  of  that  of  the  Shellbark. 
But  other  trees  are  found  whose  leaflets  are  oftener  seven 
than  five. 

The  bark  is  firm,  close,  usually  divided  by  small  fissures  ; 
it  rarely  exfoliates,  but  when  it  does  the  plates  are  not  more 
than  five  or  six  inches  long. 


£94 


BETULACEtE— BIRCH   FAMILY 

BIRCH 

Bc'tula. 

Bettda  is  derived  by  Pliny  from  bitumen.  Birch  by  some  is 
derived  from  Beta  its  Celtic  name ;  by  others  from  the  Latin 
batuere,  to  beat,  because  the  fasces  of  the  Roman  lictors,  which 
were  always  made  of  birch  rods,  were  used  to  drive  back  the 
people. 

There  are  in  North  America  nine  birches  of  which  six  are 
trees,  and  five  of  these  flourish  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
All  are  trees  of  singular  grace  and  beauty  and  possess  a  cer- 
tain distinction  of  character  which  fits  them  for  an  honored 
place  in  parks  and  pleasure  grounds.  The  roots  are  fibrous 
and  the  trees  can  be  readily  transplanted.     All  grow  rapidly. 

The  bark  of  all  the  birches  is  characteristically  marked 
with  long  horizontal  lenticels,  and  often  separates  into  thin 
papery  plates,  especially  upon  the  Paper  Birch.  It  is  prac- 
tically imperishable,  due  to  the  resinous  oil  it  contains.  Its 
decided  color  gives  the  common  names  Red,  White,  Black, 
and  Yellow  to  the  different  species.  The  buds  form  early 
and  are  full  grown  by  midsummer,  all  are  lateral,  no  terminal 
bud  is  formed  ;  the  branch  is  prolonged  by  the  upper  lateral 
bud.  The  wood  of  all  the  species  is  close-grained  with  satiny 
texture  and  capable  of  taking  a  fine  polish  ;  its  fuel  value  is 
fair. 

The  leaves  of  the  different  species  vary  but  little.  All 
are  alternate,  doubly  serrate,  feather-veined,   petiolate,  and 

295 


BIRCH   FAMILY 


stipulate.  Apparently  they  often  appear  m  pairs,  but  these 
pairs  are  really  borne  on  spur-like  two-leaved  lateral 
branchlets. 

The  flowers  are  monoecious,  opening-  with 
or  before  the  leaves  and  borne  in  three- 
flowered  clusters  in  the  axils  of  the  scales  of 
drooping  or  erect  aments.  Staminate  aments 
are  pendulous,  clustered  or  solitary  in  the 
axils  of  the  last  leaves  of  the  branch  of  the 
year  or  near  the  ends  of  the  short  lateral 
branchlets  of  the  year.     They  form  in  early 

autumn  and  re- 
main rigid  dur- 
ing the  winter. 
The  scales  of 
the  staminate 
aments  when 
mature  are  broadly  ovate, 
rounded,  yellow  or  orange 
color  below  the  middle, 
dark  chestnut  brown  at 
apex.  Each  scale  bears 
two  bract  lets  and  three 
sterile  flowers,  each  flower  consisting  of  a 
sessile,  membranaceous,  usually  two-lobed, 
calyx.  Each  calyx  bears  four  short  fila- 
ments with  one-celled  anthers  or  strictly, 
two  filaments  divided  into  two  branches, 
each  bearing  a  half-anther.  Anther  cells 
open  longitudinally.  The  pistillate  aments 
are  erect  or  pendulous,  solitary  ;  terminal 
on  the  two-leaved  lateral  spur-like  branch- 
lets  of  the  year.  The  pistillate  scales  are 
oblong-ovate,  three-lobed,  pale  yellow^  green 
often  tinged  with  red,  becoming  brown  at 
maturity.  These  scales  bear  two  or  three  fertile  flowers, 
each    flower    consisting    of    a    naked    ovarv.      Tiie    ovary   is 

3c,6 


Branch  of  Red  Birch, 
Bctula  nigra.  Show- 
ing the  Staminate 
Aments  as  they  Ap- 
pear in  Winter. 


Four  Staminate  and  One 
Pistinate  Ament  of 
Sweet  Birch,  Betula 
lent  a.  Staminate 
Aments  3'  to  4'  long. 


BIRCH 

compressed,  two-celled,  crowned    with   two   slender   styles  ; 
the  ovule  is  solitary. 

The  ripened  pistillate  ament  is  called  a  strobile  and  bears 
tiny  winged  nuts,  packed  in  the  protecting  curve  of  each 
brown  and  woody  scale.  'I'hese  nuts  are  pale  chestnut  brown, 
compressed,  crowned  by  the  persistent  stigmas.  The  seed 
fills  the  cavity  of  the  nut.  The 
cotyledons  are  flat  and  fleshy.  All 
the  species  are  easily  grown  from 
seed. 

Michaux     arranged    the    birches 

into     two      groups  one,     including     Rear  view  of  a  Staminate  Scale  and 

trees    whose    pistillate    aments    are       ^;-t  view  of  a  Pistillate  Scaie 

'■  of  Yellow  Birch,  Bclula  Lutca  ; 

sessile   and   erect  :    the    Black,   the       Enlarged. 
Yellow    and    the    Red  ;    the    other, 

those  whose  pistillate  aments  are  stalked  and  pendulous  : 
the  Canoe,  the  White  and  the  common  Betula  alba  of  Europe. 
Remains  of  the  group  appear  in  the  cretaceous  rocks  of 
Dakota,  and  during  the  tertiary  period  the  genus  existed 
throughout  the  northern  central  plateau  of  North  America 
and  at  the  same  time  abounded  in  Europe. 


WHITE  BIRCH.    GRAY  BIRCH.    ASPEN-LEAVED  BIRCH 

Betula  popidifblia. 

Least  common  of  the  birches  ;  found  on  dry,  gravelly,  barren  mar- 
gins of  swamps  and  ponds.  Short-lived,  twenty  to  thirty  feet  high. 
Grows  very  rapidly.  Ranges  from  Nova  Scotia  and  lower  St.  Law- 
rence River  southward  mostly  in  the  coast  region  to  Delaware,  and 
westward  through  northern  New  England  and  New  York  to  southern 
shore  of  Lake  Ontario.     Leaves  tremulous. 

Bark.—Q\\2Wy  white  or  gray  white,  usually  firm  but  easily  scp- 
erable  into  thin  plates  ;  dark  triangular  markings  scattered  over  the 
trunk  and  especially  below  the  branches.  At  the  base  of  large  trees 
nearly  black  and  broken  irregularly  by  shallow  fissures.  Branchlets 
at  first  reddish  brown,  closely  dotted  with  round  Icnticels,  then 
dark  brown,  and  finally  white  near  the  trunk.  Practically  incor- 
ruptible. 

297 


BIRCH    FAMILY 


Wood. — Light  brown,  sapwood  paler;  light,  soft,  close-grained, 
not  strong,  checks  badly  in  drying,  not  durable  in  contact  with  the 
ground,  takes  a  fine  polish.  Used  for  spools,  shoe  pegs,  wood  pulp 
and  barrel  hoops.  Fuel  value  not  high,  but  burns  with  bright  flame. 
Sp.  gr.,  0.5760;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  35.90  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Slender,  brown,  one-fourth  of  an  inch  long. 
Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  triangular,  two  and  a  half  to  three 
inches  long,  one  and  one-half  to  two  inches  wide,  truncate  or  slightly 
wedge-shaped  at  base,  doubly  serrate,  with  spreading  glandular 
teeth,  acute  or  acuminate.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  bright  yellow 
green,  glutinous.  When  full  grown  are  dark  shining  green  above, 
paler  shining  green  beneath  ;  midribs  yellow,  raised,  rounded,  often 
marked  with  minute  black  glands,  primary  veins  conspicuous.  In 
autumn  they  turn  a  pale  yellow.  Petioles  long,  slender,  slightly 
twisted,  often  reddish.  Stipules  ovate,  pale  green,  tinged  with  red, 
caducous. 

Flowers. — April,  before  the  leaves.  Staminate  flowers  borne  on 
terminal  catkins  which  are  solitary  or  in  pairs  ; 
when  mature  are  from  three  to  four  inches  long. 
These  form  in  the  late  summer,  and  during  the 
winter  they  vary  from  one  and  one-quarter  to  one 
and  one-half  inches  long,  bright  pale  green,  and 
very  rigid.  Scales  ovate,  acute,  apiculate.  Pis- 
tillate aments  slender,  one-half  inch  long  ;  scales 
ovate,  acute  pale  green,  glandular ;  peduncles 
furnished  with  conspicuous  bractlets. 

Fruit.  —  Strobiles  cylindrical,    an    inch   long, 

obtuse    at   base    and   apex ;    peduncles    slender, 

drooping ;    scales    pubescent,    wedge-shaped    at 

base,  three-lobed,    lateral  lobes  larger  than  the 

White    Birch,     Betitia    middle,  spreading.     Nut  oval,  acute  or  rounded 

popuiifoiia.  Strobiles    at  base,  winged  ;  the  wings  rather  broader  than 

pendulous,  \'  long.      the  seed. 


Of  forest  trees- 


Most  beautiful 
-The  Lady  of  the  woods. 


— Coleridge. 


The  silvery  stems 
Of  dehcate  bjrch  trees. 


— Keats. 


Sometimes  trees  ascend  vertically  and  having  arrived  at  a  certain  height,  in 
an  air  perfectly  unobstructed,  fork  off  in  various  tiers,  and  send  out  their 
branches  horizontally  like  an  apple  tree  ;  or  incline  them  towards  the  earth  hke 
a  fir  ;  or  hollow  them  in  the  form  of  a  cup,  like  the  sassafras  ;  or  round  them 
into  the  shape  of  a  mushroom  like  the  pine  ;  or  straighten  them  into  a  pyramid 
like  the  poplar  ;  or  roll  them  as  wool  upon  the  distaff  like  the  cypress  ;  or  suffer 
them  to  float  at  the  discretion  of  the  winds  hke  the  birch. 

— St.   Pierre. 

298 


WHITE    BIRCH 


Fruiting  Branch  of  White  Birch,  Betiila  popiilifolia. 

Leaves  2^^'  to  3'  long,    i  ^'  to  2'  long. 


BIRCH   FAMILY 

' fit. 

This  description,  "  to  float  at  the  discretion  of  the  winds," 
admirably  characterizes  the  attitude  of  the  White  Birch. 
The  white  stem  rises  unbroken  to  the  summit  of  the  tree, 
the  branches  come  out  at  a  large  angle,  go  out  horizontally, 
or  perhaps  dip  a  little  and  divide  into  branchlets  so  long, 
slender,  and  delicate  that  they  have  no  rigidity  but  yield  to 
every  impulse  of  the  passing  breeze.  The  leaves  flutter  as 
freely  as  those  of  the  Aspen  for  the  petioles  though  not  lat- 
erally compressed  are  long,  slender,  and  slightly  twisted, 
which  puts  the  leaf  into  such  unstable  equilibrium  that  it  re- 
sponds to  the  lightest  motion  of  the  air. 

The  outer  layer  of  the  bark  is  thin  and  white,  both  on  the 
stem  and  larger  limbs,  but  neither  it  nor  the  inner  layer  will 
separate  from  the  wood  as  easily  as  will  that  of  the  Canoe  or 
Paper  Birch.  A  marked  characteristic  is  the  triangular  black 
spots  appearing  on  the  trunk  beneath  every  limb  as  well  as 
in  other  places. 

Although  the  wood  quickly  decays  in  contact  with  the 
earth,  the  bark  under  similar  conditions  remains  unchanged. 
This  is  due  to  a  peculiar  resin  found  in  the  bark  which  ren- 
ders it  impervious  to  water. 

The  tree  loves  rocky  barren  woods,  old  fields  and  aban- 
doned farms,  and  in  New  England  has  the  familiar  name  of 
Old  Field  Birch.  It  is  the  least  common  of  all  the  birches 
and  is  rarely  found  growing  in  groups.  It  is  plainly  unable  to 
hold  its  own  in  competition  with  other  trees,  and  is  found 
largely  on  exhausted  sandy  soils  where  other  trees  are  unable 
to  grow.  When  planted,  however,  it  does  not  disdain  moist, 
fertile  land  and  acts  as  an  excellent  nurse  for  other  trees,  but 
under  no  conditions  is  it  long-lived. 

The  Gray  Birch  so  closely  resembles  the  common  Euro- 
pean birch,  Betula  alba,  that  it  has  by  some  botanists  been 
classed  as  a  variety  of  that  species.  However,  it  grows  with 
less  vigor  and  does  not  attain  so  large  a  size. 

The  European  Birch  appears  in  American  lawns  and  parks 
principally  in  its  cultivated  varieties.  The  most  common 
of  these   is  Betula  alba  var.  laciniaia^   the   cut-leaved  Birch. 

300 


WHITE    BIRCH 


Trunk  of  While  Birch,  Bclnla  popnlijolia. 


BIRCH    FAMILY 

Others  are  var.  pendida,  weeping  ;  var.  fastigiata,  pyramidal  ; 
var.  pubescens,  leaf  covered  with  white  down.  All  are 
beautiful. 


PAPER  BIRCH.     CANOE  BIRCH.     WHITE  BIRCH 


Betiila  papyrifera. 

Widely  distributed  over  a  northern  range.  Sixty  to  seventy  feet 
high.  When  young  forming  a  compact  pyramidal  head,  in  old  age 
becoming  a  branchless  trunk,  supporting  a  round-topped  open  head 
of  pendulous  branches.  Prefers  rich  moist  hillsides,  borders  of 
streams,  lakes,  and  swamps.  Sap  flows  freely  in  spring  and  by  boil- 
ing can  be  made  into  syrup. 

Bark. — On  old  trees,  near  the  ground,  dark  brown  or  nearly 
black,  sharply  and  irregularly  furrowed.  At  the  base  of  young 
trees,  brown  tinged  with  red,  separating  irregularly  into  large  plates. 
Higher  on  the  trunks  of  old  trees,  on  young  stems  and  large  limbs, 
creamy  white,  shining  on  the  outer  surface,  bright  orange  on  the 
inner,  marked  with  horizontal  lenticels  and  separating  freely  into 
thin  papery  layers.  Branchlets  slender,  light  green,  then  orange 
and  finally  through  red  and  brown  in  the  course  of  years  they  be- 
come white.  Bark  contains  not  only  an  astringent  principle  but  a 
resinous  balsamic  oil. 

Wood. — Light  brown  tinged  with  red  ;  light,  hard,  tough,  close- 
grained  and  strong.     Used  for  spools,  shoe-lasts,  wood  pulp,  fuel. 

Sp.  gr.,  0.5955  ;  weight  of  cu. 


ft. 


37.11  lbs. 
Winter    Buds.  —  Ovate, 
acute,  dark  brown,  resinous,  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  long. 

Leaves.  —  Alternate,  simple, 
two  to  three  inches  long,  one- 
half  to  two  inches  wide,  ovate, 
heart-shaped  or  rounded  or 
wedge-shaped  at  base,  coarsely, 
doubly,  or  irregularly  serrate 
with  spreading  teeth,  abruptly 
acuminate;  midrib  slender, 
yellow,  raised  and  rounded, 
and  marked  with  minute  black 
glands.  They  come  out  of  the 
bud  bright  green,  pubescent,  resinous;  when  full  grown  are  thick, 
firm,  dull  dark  green  above,  pale  yellow  green  beneath,  covered  with 
minute   black   glands.     In    autumn    they   turn    clear   pale   yellow. 

302 


Paper  Birch.  Betiila  papyrifera.     Strobiles  pen 
dulous,   i^'  to  2'  long. 


PAPER   BIRCH 


Fruiting  Sprays  of  Paper  Birch,  Betiila  papyrifcra. 
Leaves  2!  to  3'  long,  ^i!  to  2'  broad. 


BIRCH    FAMILY 

Petioles  stout,  yellow,  covered  with  black  glands,  enlarged  at  base, 
slightly  grooved.     Stipules  ovate,  acute,  light  green,  caducous. 

Flozvers. — April,  monoecious,  before  the  leaves.  Staminate  cat- 
kins clustered  or  in  pairs,  when  mature  become  three  to  four  inches 
long.  Pistillate  catkins  one  inch  to  one  and  a  half  inches  long, 
peduncles  bibracteolate,  three-fourths  to  one  inch  in  length.  Scales 
lanceolate,  pale  green  ;    styles  bright  red. 

Fniit. — Strobiles,  cylindrical,  elongated,  pendulous,  long-stalked. 
Scales  glabrous,  wedge-shaped  at  base,  rather  longer  than  broad, 
with  short,  wide-spreading,  rounded  lobes.  Nut  oval,  small,  nar- 
rower than  its  wings. 

Give  me  of  youi-  bark,  O  Birch-tree  ! 
Of  your  yellow  bark,  O  Birch-tree  1 
Growing  by  the  rushing  river 
Tall  and  stately  in  the  valley .' 
I  a  light  canoe  will  build  me, 
Build  a  swift  Cheemaun  for  sailing, 
That  shall  float  upon  the  river, 
Like  a  yellow  leaf  in  Autumn, 
Like  a  yellow  water-lily  ! 

—Henry  W.  Longff.llow. 

The  great  triumph  of  the  birch  is  the  bark  canoe.  The  design  of  a  savage, 
it  yet  looks  like  the  thought  of  a  poet  and  its  grace  and  fitness  haunt  the  imagina- 
tion. I  suppose  its  production  was  the  inevitable  result  of  the  Indians'  wants 
and  surroundings,  but  that  does  not  detract  from  its  beauty.  It  is,  indeed,  one 
of  the  fairest  flowers  the  thorny  plant  of  necessity  ever  bore. 

—John  Burroughs. 

The  Paper  Birch  possesses  the  most  wonderful  bark  of  any 
of  our  native  trees.  In  outward  color  it  is  a  lustrous  creamy 
white,  so  brilliant  that  its  gleam  can  be  seen  in  the 
forest  as  far  as  the  eye  can  reach.  Beneath  the  smooth 
white  skin  are  the  paper-like  layers  which  readily  separate 
into  thin  sheets  and  vary  in  color  from  cream  to  light  tan. 
This  bark  is  the  joy  and  pride  of  every  woodsman  whether 
he  be  tourist,  guide,  or  hunter.  It  makes  his  canoe,  it  roofs 
his  cabin,  it  becomes  for  the  time  his  dinner-service,  it  is  a 
cup,  a  pail,  a  cloak^  an  umbrella.  The  thin  papery  layers 
into  which  the  bark  separates  are  of  so  firm  a  texture  that  it 
is  possible  both  to  write  and  paint  upon  them.  Curious 
traditions  gather  about  this  natural  paper.  Pliny  and  Plu- 
tarch agree  that  the  famous  books  of  Numa  Pompilius,  written 

304 


PAPER    BIRCH 


Trunk  uf  Paper  Birch,  Betula  papviifera. 


BIRCH    FAMILY 

seven  hundred  years  before  Christ,  were  of  birch  bark  ;  and 
the  sibylline  leaves  purchased  by  Tarquin  are  by  some  be- 
lieved to  have  been  of  the  same  material. 

The  inner  bark  contains  starch  so  abundantly  that  it  is  a 
valuable  resource  to  the  people  of  the  extreme  north  who 
bruise  and  mix  it  with  their  food. 

RED  BIRCH.     RIVER  BIRCH 

Be'tula  nigra. 

Eighty  to  ninety  feet  in  height,  trunk  often  dividing  into  two  or 
three  slightly  diverging  limbs  and  forming  a  round-topped  pictu- 
resque head.  Branches  slender  and  pendulous.  Loves  the  banks  of 
streams  and  ponds  and  swamps,  where  the  water  overflows.  Ranges 
from  Massachusetts  to  Florida  and  reaches  its  largest  size  in  the 
low  lands  of  the  south. 

Bark.—V>2ix\i  red  brown,  deeply  furrowed,  scaly.  On  branches 
and  young  stems  bright  red  or  reddish  brown,  or  silver  white, 
marked  with  horizontal  lenticels.  Separates  into  thin  papery  plates, 
which  curl  back  and  show  the  pinkish  inner  layer.  Branchlets  at 
first  coated  with  tomentum,  later  become  dark  red  and  shining 
and  marked  with  pale  lenticels  ;  finally  they  become  dull  red  brown 
and  after  a  time  the  bark  begins  to  separate  into  thin  flakes. 

Wood. — Light  brown,  sapwood  pale  ;  light,  strong,  close-grained, 
used  in  manufacture  of  furniture  and  wooden  ware.  Sp.  gr.,  0.5762; 
weight  of  cu.  ft.,  35.91  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Bright  chestnut  brown,  shining,  ovate,  acute,  one- 
fourth  inch  long,  inner  scales  enlarge  when  spring  growth  begins  and 
become  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long,  strap-shaped,  pale  brown  tinged 
with  red,  hairy. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  one  and  one-half  to  three  inches  long,  one  to 
two  inches  broad,  broadly  ovate,  wedge-shaped  at  base,  doubly 
serrate,  often  almost  lobed.  acute.  They  come  out  of  the  bud, 
pale  yellow  green,  hairy  and  tomentose  ;  when  full  grown  are  thin, 
tough,  deep  shining  green  above,  pale  yellow  green  ;  midrib  stout, 
conspicuous,  hairy  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  a  pale  dull  yellow. 
Petioles  short,  slender,  flattened,  tomentose.  Stipules  ovate,  pale 
green,  caducous. 

Flowers. — March,  April,  before  the  leaves.  Staminate  catkins 
„  clustered  in  threes,  form  in  late  summer,  during  winter  are  three- 
fourths  of  an  inch  long,  rigid.  Scales  dull  chestnut  brown.  When 
flowers  open  the  catkins  are  two  to  three  inches  long,  scales  light 
yellow  and  bright  chestnut  brown.     Pistillate  catkins  are  about  one- 

306 


RED    BIRCH 


Red  Birch,  Bctitla  nigra. 
Leaves  i%'  to  3'  long,   i'  to  2'  broad. 


BIRCH    FAMILY 

third  of  an  inch  long  ;  scales  bright  green,  ovate,  downy  ;  peduncles 

tomentose,  bibracteolate. 

Strobiles. — Ripen  in  May  and  June  ;  cylindrical,  oblong,  erect,  an 

inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  long,  half  an  inch  thick.     Scales  oblong- 

obovate,  hairy,  three-lobed, 
lateral  lobes  shorter  than  the 
central.  Nut  oval,  downy ; 
wing  as  broad  or  broader  than 
the  seed. 


Nearly  every  genus  of 
trees  contains  one  species 
that  loves  the  water. 
Among  the  maples  it  is  the 

Red  Birch,  BcUda  nigra      Strobiles  erect,      ^^^     among    the    ashcS    it    is 
\'  to   i^'  long.  '  » 

the  Black,  among  the  oaks 
it  is  the  Swamp  White  and  among  the  birches  it  is  the  Red. 
Like  other  trees  that  grow  from  choice  upon  lands  subject 
to  inundation,  it  ripens  its  fruit  early  and  casts  it  broadcast 
in  June  when  streams  are  low.  Germination  takes  place  at 
once  ;  and  each  little  seedling  becomes  several  inches  high 
and  well  established  in  life  before  the  autumn  rains  inundate 
its  birthplace  and  threaten  its  existence. 

Other  birches  love  the  north,  climb  to  the  mountain  tops 
and  make  their  way  well  into  the  arctic  regions  ;  but  the  Red 
Birch  seeks  warmth  not  cold,  crowds  to  the  water's  very 
edge  and  dips  its  pendulous  branches  into  the  quiet  or  run- 
ning stream.  It  is  the  water  nymph  of  the  birches  ;  and 
reaches  its  greatest  size  in  the  damp  misty  lowlands  of  Texas 
or  among  the  bayous  of  Louisiana  or  in  the  swamps  of  Flor- 
ida. And  yet  it  possesses  all  the  family  ability  of  harmoniz- 
ing with  its  environment  and  will  grow  rapidly  in  good  soil 
quite  remote  from  water. 

The  Red  Birch  is  a  beautiful  tree  ;  the  bark  of  a  full  grown 
trunk  is  dark,  but  small  stems  and  branchlets  are  really  red 
and  in  the  sunlight  are  positively  brilliant.  This  red  bark 
easily  sloughs  loose  and  shows  the  paler  bark  beneath.  The 
spray  is  particularly  delicate,  the  twigs  and  branchlets  long, 
flexible,  and  pendulous. 

30S 


YELLOW    BIRCH 


Yellow  Birch,  Bctnla  liitca. 
Leaves  5'  to  4'  long,   i'  to  2'  broad. 


BIRCH   FAMILY 


YELLOW   BIRCH.     GRAY   BIRCH 

Be'tula  lutea. 

Usually  thirty  to  forty  feet  in  height,  occasionally  one  hundred  ; 
reaches  its  largest  size  in  Canada,  northern  New  England  and  New 
York.  Ranges  as  far  south  as  Tennessee  and  North  Carolina.  Pre- 
fers rich  moist  uplands.  Forms  a  broad  round-topped  head  with 
pendulous  branches. 

Bark. — Aromatic  and  slightly  bitter.  On  old  trunks,  silvery  yel- 
low gray,  divided  by  irregular  fissures  into  large  thin  plates  ;  on 
young  trunks  silvery  gray  or  dull  yellow  or  shining  golden,  either 
close  and  firm  or  somewhat  divided,  the  edges  of  the  irregular  fis- 
sures breaking  into  thin  layers,  more  or  less  rolled  at  border.  The 
branchlets  at  first  are  green,  afterward  lustrous  brown,  finally  dull 
brown. 

Wood. — Light  brown  tinged  with  red  ;  heavy,  strong,  hard,  close- 
grained  with  satiny  surface,  susceptible  of  a  fine  polish.  Used  in 
the  manufacture  of  furniture,  hubs  of  wheels,  small  boxes,  butter 
moulds  and  for  fuel.     Sp,  gr.,  0.6553  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  40.84  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Acute,  light  chestnut  brown,  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  often  in  pairs,  three  to  four  inches  long,  an 
inch  to  two  inches  wide,  ovate  or  oblong-ovate,  wedge-shaped  or 
slightly  heart-shaped  at  the  slightly  oblique  base,  doubly  serrate, 
acute  or  acuminate,  slightly  aromatic.  They  come  out  of  the  bud 
plicate,  bronze  green  or  red,  hairy  ;  when  full  grown  are  dull  dark 
green  above,  yellow  green  below  ;  midrib  stout,  pri- 
mary veins  conspicuous,  impressed  above,  hairy  be- 
low. In  aiitumn  they  turn  a  clear  pale  yellow.  Pet- 
ioles short,  slender,  grooved,  hairy  ;  stipules  ovate, 
pale  pinkish  green,  caducous. 

Floiuers. — April,  before  the  leaves  ;  monoecious. 
Staminate  catkins  form  in  late  summer,  usually  in 
groups,  three-fourths  to  one  inch  long.  Scales  pale 
chestnut  brown,  ovate.  When  the  flowers  open  the 
catkins  are  three  to  three  and  one-half  inches  long  ; 
scales  pale  yellow  green  below  the  middle,  dark 
brown  above.  Pistillate  catkins  about  two-thirds  of 
Yellow  Birch  Be-  ^"  ^^^^^  ^^^g  '  scalcs  acutc,  pale  green  below,  light 
tuialutea.lxxo-     red,  hairy  above. 

biles  erect,  1' to         Fruit. — Strobiles    erect,   sessile   or  short-stalked, 
xYi  long.  oblong-ovoid,  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  in  length, 

three-quarters  of  an  inch  thick.  Scales  wedge- 
shaped,  broad  or  narrow,  three-lobed,  lobes  variable.  Nut  oval  or 
obovate,  one-eighth  inch  long  ;  wing  rather  narrower  than  the  seed. 

310 


YELLOW   BIRCH 

This  birch  is  named  from  its  golden  bark.  On  an  old 
trunk,  the  bark  simply  suggests  the  color,  it  is  rather  a  silver 
gray  with  a  yellow  flush  ;  and  in  extreme  old  age  the  surface 
is  shaggy  with  light  gray  plates  the  size  of  a  hand.  On 
young  trees,  when  the  yellow  inner  bark  is  covered  by  an  un- 
broken, thin,  brown,  outer  layer  the  result  is  a  dull  yellowish 
brown.  But,  now  and  then,  in  the  leafless  woods  one  comes 
upon  a  young  tree  six  or  eight  inches  in  diameter  upon  whose 
trunk  the  thin  outer  bark  has  been  loosened  and  frayed  by 
the  wind  until  it  clings  a  mass  of  silvery  shreds  and  patches, 
revealing  in  the  March  and  April  sunshine  an  inner  bark  of 
the  most  exquisite  golden  yellow.  This  disheveled  wood- 
nymph  of  the  forest  is  rare,  but  once  found  its  beauty  is  never 
forgotten. 


SWEET   BIRCH,   BLACK   BIRCH,   MAHOGANY   BIRCH 

Beta  la  le'nta. 

Generally  distributed,  most  abundant  northward,  but  reaches  its 
greatest  size  on  the  mountains  of  Tennessee.  Usually  seventy  to 
eighty  feet  high  with  a  round-topped,  open  head.  Prefers  moist 
situations,  mountain  slopes  and  borders  of  streams. 

Bark. — Spicy  aromatic.  Dark  brown  with  a  reddish  tinge.  On 
old  trunks  deeply  furrowed  and  broken  into  thick  irregular  plates  ; 
on  young  stems  and  on  branches  close,  smooth,  lustrous  and  marked 
with  pale  horizontal  lenticels.  Does  not  separate  into  thin  layers  as 
the  paper  birch.  Branchlets  at  first  pale  green,  slightly  viscid,  later 
they  change  from  dark  orange  brown  to  bright  red  brown  and  finally 
to  dark  reddish  brown. 

Wood. — Dark  brown  tinged  with  red,  sapwood  light  brown  or  yel- 
low ;  heavy,  very  strong,  hard,  close-grained,  satiny  and  capable  of 
receiving  a  fine  polish.  Used  largely  in  the  manufacture  of  furni- 
ture, hubs  of  wheels,  small  articles  and  fuel.  Sp.  gr.,  0.7617  ;  weight 
of  cu.  ft.,  47.47  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Pale  chestnut  brown,  slender,  acute,  one-fourth 
of  an  inch  long. 

Zm2/<?j.— Alternate,  two  and  one-half  to  six  inches  long,  one  and 
a  half  to  three  inches  wide,  ovate  or  oblong-ovate,  heart-shaped  or 
rounded,  often  unequal  at  base,  doubly  serrate,  acute  or  acuminate. 
They  come  out  of  the  bud  plicate,  pale  green,  downy  ;  when  full 

311 


BIRCH    FAMILY 

grown  are  dull  dark  green  above,  pale  yellow  green  below  ;  midrib 
yellow,  primary  veins  indistinct  above  but  conspicuous  and  hairy 
below.  In  autumn  they  turn  a  clear  bright  yel- 
low. Petioles  stout,  hairy,  deeply  grooved 
above.  Stipules  ovate,  pale  green  or  nearly 
white,  caducous. 

Floivcrs. — April,  before  the  leaves.  Stami- 
nate  catkins  form  in  late  summer,  during  winter 
are  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long.  When  the 
flowers  open  the  catkins  become  three  to  four 
inches  long,  and  in  general  appearance  become 
bright  yellow  due  to  the  abundant  anthers. 
Scales  ovate,  bright  red  brown  above  the  mid- 
dle, pale  brown  below.  Pistillate  catkins  from 
one-half  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long,  scales 
Sweet  Birch,  fi./«/w.«/..   ovate,    pale   green;    styles    exserted,    slender, 

Strobiles    erect,    .'    to    P^le  pink. 

xYz'  long.  Fruit. — Strobiles   oblong-ovoid,  smooth,  ses- 

sile, erect,  one  to  one  and  one-half  inches  long, 
one-half  an  inch  thick.  Scales  smooth,  with  rounded  or  acute  lat- 
eral lobes.    Nut  obovate,  pointed  at  base,  about  as  broad  as  its  wing. 

The  Black  Birch  which  is  a  handsome  tree  with  its  tall  dark  stem,  graceful 
fragrant  branches  and  dark  green  foliage,  is  especially  beautiful  in  early  spring 
when  its  long  staminate  catkins  hang  from  the  leafless  branches  changing  them 
for  a  few  days  into  fountains  of  golden  spray  and  making  it  the  most  conspicu- 
ous of  the  American  birches. 

— Charles  S.  Sargent. 


The  names  White,  Black,  and  Yellow  are  often  given  to 
trees  with  very  little  justification,  but  in  the  case  of  the 
birches  they  express  differences  which  are  apparent  to  the 
most  casual  observer.  The  trunk  of  the  White  Birch  is  really 
white,  the  bark  of  the  Yellow  Birch  is  indeed  yellow  and  that 
of  the  Black  Birch  is  so  dark  that  it  may  easily  be  considered 
black.  The  bark  resembles  in  general  appearance  that  of  the 
common  cherry  tree,  whence  the  name  Cherry  Birch,  and  like 
that  of  the  other  birches,  it  divides  in  lines  running  hori- 
zontally around  the  tree.  On  old  trees  it  becomes  very 
rough  and  clings  in  horizontal  plates,  loosened  and  often 
curled  at  one  end.  The  inner  bark  is  very  fragrant  and 
has  a  pleasant  spicy  taste.  For  this  reason  it  is  called 
Sweet  Birch.  The  bark  of  the  Yellow  Birch  is  also  aromatic 
but  not  to  the  same  degree.     This  flavor  is  due  to  an  cssen- 


SWEET   BIRCH 


Sweet  Birch,  Betiila  loita. 

Leaves  2^^'  lo  b'  loni,^    1^2'  to  3'  broad. 


BIRCH    FAMILY 

tial  oil  identical  with  that  obtained  from  Gaultheria  pro- 
cmnbens,  and  which  under  the  name  of  Wintergreen  Oil  is 
employed  as  a  remedy  for  rheumatism.  The  remedial 
agent  is  salicylic  acid,  of  which  it  contains  a  large  percen- 
tage. 

The  wood  when  first  cut  has  a  beautiful  rosy  tinge  which 
deepens  with  age  and  exposure.  The  difference  between  the 
annual  circles  gives  it  a  general  clouded  appearance  and  this 
is  especially  marked  in  a  section  taken  from  the  point  of 
union  of  a  large  limb  with  the  body  of  the  tree.  When  such 
a  piece  is  skilfully  stained  and  polished,  it  closely  resembles 
mahogany.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  all  good  imitations  of  ma- 
hogany are  birch.  However,  the  wood  is  beautiful  enough 
to  have  a  value  of  its  own. 


ALDER 

A  In  us  glutinSsa. 

The  northern  native  alders  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains 
are  shrubs,  following  the  water-courses  and  nowhere  attain- 
ing the  arborescent  form.  They  are  aquatic,  enjoying  situa- 
tions too  wet  for  either  willow  or  poplar. 

The  only  alder  tree  which  is  commonly  found  in  the  northern 
states  is  Alnus  glutinosa,  a  European  species  which  is  fairly 
naturalized.  It  is  native  to  the  entire  continent  of  Europe 
and  although  naturally  aquatic  will  grow  in  good  soil,  some- 
what removed  from  water. 

The  leaves  are  orbicular,  obtuse,  wedge-shaped  at  base 
and  serrated  at  margin.  When  young  the  leaves  and  stems 
are  somewhat  glutinous,  whence  the  specific  name.  The 
bark  is  dark  and  furrowed,  and  the  wood  is  valuable  for  but 
one  purpose.  It  will  not  endure  alternate  wet  and  dry,  but  if 
constantly  submerged  it  becomes  extremely  hard  and  virtu- 
ally incorruptible. 

The  flowers  are  monoecious,  the  staminate  blossoms  are  long 
<irooping  catkins  which  form  in  the  late  summer  and  hang 

314 


ALDER 


Fruiting  Spray  of  Alder,  Almiis  ghitinosa. 

Leaves  i  J4'  to  2'  long. 


BIRCH    FAMILY 

upon  the  tree  stiff  and  rigid  all  winter  long,  but  respond   to 
the  first  warmth  of  returning  spring. 

The  pistillate  blossoms  are  little  cone-like  catkins  produced 
in  the  spring.  When  these  mature  they  open  to  let  the  seeds 
fall  but  themselves  remain  upon  the  tree  all  winter  and 
frequently  through  the  second  summer. 


HOP  HORNBEAM.     IRONWOOD 

Osfrva  7ur(^iina>ia. 

Small,  slender  tree.  Usually  found  on  dry  gravelly  slopes  and 
ridges,  often  in  the  shade  of  oaks,  maples,  and  other  larger  trees. 
In  Arkansas  and  Texas  it  reaches  the  height  of  fifty  feet  ;  ranges 
throughout  the  United  States  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 


Bark. — Grayish  brown,  furrowed  and  broken  into  narrow  oblong 
scales.  Branchlets  slender,  tough,  at  first  pale  green,  later  dark  red 
brown.     Rich  in  tannic  acid. 

Wood. — Light  brown  tinged  with  red,  sapwood  nearly  white  ; 
heavy,  tough,  exceedingly  close-grained,  very  strong  and  hard. 
Durable  in  contact  with  the  soil  and  will  take  a  fine  polish.  Used 
for  small  articles  like  levers,  handles  of  tools,  mallets.  Sp.  gr., 
0.8284;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  51.62  lbs. 

Leaf  Bicds. — Ovate,  acute,  light  chestnut  brown,  one-fourth  of  an 
inch  long.  Inner  scales  enlarge  when  spring  growth  begins.  No 
terminal  bud  is  formed. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  oblong-ovate,  three  to  five  inches  long, 
rounded,    cordate,  or  wedge-shape,   or  sometimes   unequal  at   the 

base,  sharply  and 
doubly  serrate, 
acute  or  acuminate  ; 
feather-veined,  mid- 
rib and  veins  prom- 
inent on  the  under 
side.  They  come 
from  the  bud  light 
bronze  green, 
smooth  above  and 
hairy  beneath;  when 
full  grown  are  thin, 
extremely  tough,  dull  dark  yellow  green  above,  pale  yellow  green 
beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  a  clear  yellow.  Petiole  short,  slen- 
der, hairy  ;  stipules  caducous. 

316 


Branch    of  Hop    Hornbeam,  Ostrya  virgiiiiana,  Showing  the 
Staminate  Aments  as  they  Appear  in  Winter. 


HOP   HORNBEAM 


Fruiting  Spray  of  H.«p  H..rnbcMni,  Ostrj'a  virgiiiijiia. 

Leaves  3'  to  5'  long. 


BIRCH    FAMILY 

Flowers. — April,  May,  with  the  leaves.  Monoecious,  apetalous  ; 
the  staminate  naked  in  long  pendulous  aments.  These  aments 
appear  in  midsummer  about  one-half  an  inch  long,  stiff,  tomentose, 
with  light  red  brown  scales  ;  they  develop  from  lateral  buds  and  are 
conspicuous  during  the  winter.  In  the  spring  they  become  about 
two  inches  long,  loose  and  drooping.  The  staminate  flower  is  com- 
posed of  from  three  to  fourteen  stamens  crowded  on  a  hairy  torus, 
adnate  to  the  base  of  a  broadly  ovate  concave  scale,  which  is  con- 
tracted at  the  apex  into  a  sharp  point,  ciliate  at  margin,  longer  than 
the  stamens.  The  pistillate  flowers  are  borne  in  erect  lax  aments, 
each  flower  enclosed  in  a  hairy  sac-like  body  formed  by  the  union  of 
a  bract  and  two  bractlets.  Ovary,  two-celled  ;  style  short,  two- 
lobed  ;  ovule  solitary. 

Fruit. — Strobile,  consisting  of  a  number  of  fruiting  sac-like  in- 
volucres, each  inclosing  a  small  flat  nut.  The  fruit  cluster  is  from 
one  to  two  inches  long,  borne  on  a  hairy  stem  and  resembles  a  hop. 


To  find  in  the  forest  a  hop-bearing  tree  is  to  the  uniniti- 
ated an  experience,  and  the  fruit  of  this  Hornbeam  so  closely 
resembles  that  of  the  common  hop-vine  that  it  has  given  the 

name  to  the  tree.  In- 
deed, the  tree  seems 
to  have  very  little  that 
it  can  really  call  its 
own,  for  it  resembles 
the  birch  in  its  leaf 
and  the  beech  in  its 
spray.  One  thing, 
however,  is  individual, 
it  excels  all  the  other 
trees  of  the  forest  in 
strength.  When  wood- 
men need  a  lever  they 
seek  at  once  for  a  Hop 
Hornbeam,  whence  its 
wild  -  wood  name  of 
Leverwood. 

This   is   one   of   the 

solitary    trees  ;    never 

found  in  masses,  it  stands  here  and  there  in  the  forest  and 

chooses   only   cool,    fertile,    shaded   situations.     The   wood 

318 


Pistillate  and  Staminate  Aments  of  Hop  Hornbeam, 
Ostrya  virginiana. 


HORNBEAM 

being  exceedingly  close-grained,  the  growth  of  the  tree  is 
correspondingly  slow.  It  can  be  easily  raised  from  the  seeds 
which  do  not  usually  germinate  until  the  second  year  after 
they  are  planted.  Traces  of  leaves  and  fruit  are  found  in 
the  eocene  and  miocene  rocks  of  Europe  and  in  tertiary 
times  it  ranged  to  Greenland. 


HORNBEAM.     BLUE  BEECH 

Carplmis  carolinihna. 

Some  derive  Carpimis  from  the  Celtic  words  car,  wood  and  pix, 
the  head,  because  of  the  use  of  the  wood  in  making  yokes  for  oxen  ; 
others  refer  it  to  carpenhim,  a  sort  of  chariot  which  the  Romans 
made  of  this  wood.  Hornbeam  alludes  to  the  horny  texture  of  the 
wood. 

— Loudon. 

Common  along  the  borders  of  streams  and  swamps,  loves  a  deep 
moist  soil.  Varies  from  shrub  to  small  tree,  and  ranges  throughout 
the  United  States  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains. 

Bark.— On  old  trees  near  the  base,  furrowed.  Young  trees  and 
branches  smooth,  dark  bluish  gray,  sometimes  furrowed,  light  and 
dark  gray.  Branchlets  at  first  pale  green,  changing  to  reddish 
brown,  ultimately  dull  gray. 

Wood. — Light  brown,  sapwood  nearly  white  ;  heavy,  hard,  close- 
grained,  very  strong.  Used  for  levers,  handles  of  tools.  Sp.  gr., 
0.7286  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  45.41  lbs. 

Winter  Buds.—0\2i\.t,  acute,  chestnut  brown,  one-eighth  of  an 
inch  long.  Inner  scales  enlarge  when  spring  growth  begins.  No 
terminal  bud  is  formed. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  two  to  four  inches  long,  ovate-oblong,  rounded, 
wedge-shaped,  or  rarely  subcordate  and  often  unequal  at  base, 
sharply  and  doubly  serrate,  acute  or  acuminate.  They  come  out  of 
the  bud  pale  bronze  green  and  hairy  ;  when  full  grown  they  are  dull 
deep  green  above,  paler  beneath  ;  feather-veined,  midrib  and  veins 
very  prominent  on  under  side.  In  autumn  bright  red,  deep  scarlet 
and  orange.     Petioles  short,  slender,  hairy.     Stipules  caducous. 

Flowers.— K^xW.  Monoecious,  apetalous,  the  staminate  naked  in 
pendulous  aments.  The  staminate  anient  buds  are  axillary  and 
form  in  the  autumn  and  during  the  winter  resemble  leaf-buds,  only 
twace  as  large  ;  these  aments  begin  to  lengthen  very  early  in  the 
spring,  when  full  grown  are  about  one  and  one-half  inches  long. 

319 


BIRCH    FAMILY 


The  staminate  flower  is  composed  of  three  to  twenty  stamens  crowded 
on  a  hairy  torus,  adnate  to  the  base  of  a  iDroadly  ovate,  acute,  boat- 
shaped  scale,  green  below  the  middle,  bright  red  at  apex.  The  pis- 
tillate aments  are  one-half  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long  with 
ovate,  acute,  hairy,  green  scales  and  bright  scarlet  styles. 

Fruit.  —  Clusters  of  involucres,  hanging  from  the  ends  of  leafy 
branches.  Each  involucre  slightly  incloses  a  small  oval  nut.  The 
involucres  are  short  stalked,  usually  three-lobed,  though  one  lobe 
is  often  wanting  ;  halberd-shaped,  coarsely  serrate  on  one  margin, 
or  entire. 

In  time  it  waxeth  so  hard  that  the  toughness  and  hardness  of  it  may  be  rather 
compared  to  horn  than  unto  wood  ;  and  therefore  it  was  called  hornebeam  or 
hard-beam.  The  leaves  of  it  are  like  the  elme,  saving  that  they  be  tenderer ; 
among  these  hang  certain  triangular  things,  upon  which  are  found  knaps  or  lit- 
tle buds  in  which  is  contained  the  fruit  or  seed, 

— Gerald. 

The  Home  bound  tree  is  a  tough  kind  of  wood  that  requires  so  much  paines 
in  riving  as  is  almost  incredible,  being  the  best  for  to  make  bolles  and  dishes,  not 
being  subject  to  cracke  or  leake. 

— New  England's  Prospect. 


This  is  a  tree  of  temperate  climates 
enjoying  neither  extreme  heat  nor  ex- 
treme cold.  In  texture,  its  bark  re- 
sembles that  of  the  beech,  is  dark 
bluish  gray  instead  of  light  gray  and 
for  this  reason  is  called  Blue  Beech, 
It  is  credited  in  the  books  with  forty 
feet  of  height  but  rarely  attains  more 
than  twenty.  A  peculiarity  of  its 
growth  is  the  manner  in  which  the 
sinews  of  the  branches  seem  to  run 
down  the  trunk  as  if  the  tree  con- 
struction were  Gothic.  The  beech 
often  shows  the  same  peculiarity  but 
rarely  so  marked  as  the  hornbeain. 

The  branches  are  long,  irregular, 
crooked  and  often  pendulous.  Some- 
times a  broad  flat-topped  head  of 
foliage  is  formed,  sometimes  only  a  shapeless  mass.  The 
branches   are    so    touo:h    and    the    tree   so   tolerant   of    the 


A  Pistillate  and  a  Staminate 
Anient  of  Hornbeam, 
Carpintis  caroliniana. 


HORNBEAM 


Fruiting  Spray  of  Hornbeam,   Carptmis  caroUniaiiJi. 

Leaves  2'  to  4'  long. 


Birch  family 

knife  that  it  has  become  the  favorite  tfee  for  arbor-walks  in 
parks. 

The  flowers  are  monoecious  ;  the  staminate  flowers  appear 
in  long,  loose,  pendulous  catkins  from  axillary  buds.  The  pis- 
tillate, in  loose  half-erect  catkins  at  the  end  of  the  spray. 
Each  pistillate  flower  is  subtended  by  a  bract  which  expands 
with  the  growth  of  the  fruit  into  a  sort  of  leaf  which  gathers 
around  and  protects  a  small  oval  nut.  These  fruit  clusters 
often  remain  on  the  trees  long  after  the  leaves  have  fallen. 

The  tree  can  be  easily  raised  from  the  seed  which  does  not 
germinate  until  the  second  year.  Traces  of  Carpinus  have 
been  found  in  the  tertiary  rocks  of  Alaska  and  in  the  upper 
miocene  of  Colorado  and  Nevada,  regions  from  which  the 
genus  has  entirely  disappeared. 


322 


CUPULIFER.E— OAK   FAMILY 

OAK 

Qjcerctis. 

Quercus  by  some  authorities  is  derived   from  two  Celtic  words 
quer,  fine,  and  ciiex,  a  tree. 

Jove's  own  tree 
That  holds  the  woods  in  awful  sovereignty  ; 
For  length  of  ages  lasts  his  happy  reign, 
And  lives  of  mortal  men  contend  in  vain. 
Full  in  the  midst  of  his  own  strength  he  stands, 
Stretching  his  brawny  arms  and  leafy  hands, 
His  shade  protects  the  plains,  his  head  the  hills  commands. 

— Virgil. 

The  oak  is  the  most  majestic  of  forest  trees.  It  has  been  represented  as 
holding  the  same  rank  among  the  plants  of  the  temperate  hemispheres  that  the 
lion  does  among  the  quadrupeds,  and  the  eagle  among  birds  ;  that  is  to  say  it  is 
the  emblem  of  grandeur,  strength  and  duration  ;  of  force  that  resists  as  a  lion 
is  of  force  that  acts. 

—Loudon. 

The  acorn  is  the  only  seed  I  can  think  of  which  is  left  by  nature  to  take 
care  of  itself.  It  matures  without  protection,  falls  heavily  and  helplessly  to  the 
ground  to  be  eaten  and  trodden  on  by  animals,  yet  the  few  which  escape  and 
those  which  are  trodden  under  are  well  able  to  compete  in  the  race  for  life. 
While  the  elm  and  maple  seeds  are  drying  up  on  the  surface,  the  hickories  and 
walnuts  waiting  to  be  cracked,  the  acorn  is  at  work  with  its  coat  off.  It  drives 
Its  tap  root  into  the  earth  in  spite  of  grass  and  brush  and  litter.  No  matter  if  it 
is  so  shaded  by  forest  trees  that  the  sun  cannot  penetrate  ;  it  will  manage  to 
make  a  short  stem  and  a  few  leaves  the  first  season,  enough  to  keep  life  in  the 
root  which  will  drill  deeper  and  deeper.  When  age  or  accident  removes  the 
tree  which  has  overshadowed  it,  then  it  will  assert  itself.  Fires  may  run  over 
the  land  destroying  almost  everything  else  ;  the  oak  will  be  killed  to  the  ground 
but  it  will  throw  up  a  new  shoot  the  ne.xt  spring,  the  root  will  keep  enlarging  and 
when  the  opportunity  comes  will  make  a  vigorous  growth  and  throw  out  strong 

323 


OAK   FAMILY 


side  roots  and  often  care  no  more  for  its  tap  root  which  has  been  its  only  support 
than  the  frog  cares  for  the  tail  of  the  tadpole  after  it  has  got  on  its  own  legs." 

—Robert  Douglas  in  Garden  and  Forest. 

This  genus  is  one  of  close  family  ties  and  marked  resem- 
blances.    The  bark  of  every  species  is  heavily  charged  with 

tannic  acid.     The   roots    take    hold    of    the 

earth  in  two  ways  ;  a  strong  tap  root  goes 

down  deep  into  the  ground  and  at  the  same 

time  wide  spreading  horizontal   roots  keep 

near   the   surface.     The   very   poise    of    the 

tree    denotes 

strength     and 

this    quality 

is    present    in 

the    humblest 

member     of 

the  family. 
The    leaves 

vary   in    form. 

In  those  groups 
which  contain  the  representative  spe- 
cies of  the  genus  the  leaves  are  of  a 
shape  unlike  those  of  any  other  trees. 

The  character  of  the  inflorescence 
is  the  same  in  every  species.  It  is 
monoecious ;  that  is,  the  stamen 
pistils  are  separated,  borne  in  different 
flowers,  but  both  kinds  of  flowers  are 
produced  on  the  same  branch.  These 
appear  together,  just  when  the  leaves 
are  half  grown.  The  staminate  flowers 
are  found  in  the  axils  of  quick  falling 
bracts  which  are  borne  on  the  rachis 
of  slender  drooping  aments  produced 
from  separate  or  leafy  buds  in  the 
axils  of  last  year's  leaves,  or  from  the  axils  of  the  inner 
scales  of  the  termmal  bud,  or  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves 

324 


Sprouting  Acorn. 


Staminate  Aments  of  Scarlet 
Oak,  Quercus  coccinca. 
Ovaries  of  Preceding  Year. 


OAK 


A  Staminate  and  a  Pistillate  Flower 
of  Scarlet  Oak,  Quercus  coccinea  ; 
enlarged. 


of  the  year.  There  is  no  corolla.  The  calyx  is  bell-shaped 
and  divided  into  four  to  six  divisions.  The  stamens,  usually 
four  to  six,  with  exserted  filaments  and  oblong  two-celled 
anthers,  are  borne  on  the  torus.     The  ovary  has  aborted. 

The  pistillate  flowers  are  subtended  by  a  quick  falling  bract 
and  are  borne  in  few-flowered  spikes,  or  on  solitary  peduncles 
produced  from  the  axils  of  the 
leaves  of  the  year.  The  calyx 
is  urn-shaped  and  grows  fast  to 
the  ovary.  The  stamens  have 
aborted. 

The  ovary  is  inferior,  incom- 
pletely three-celled  and  inclosed 
more  or  less  by  a  growing  scaly 
involucre  which  in  time  develops 
into  the  acorn  cup.  Styles  are 
usually  three,  short  or  long,  erect  or  curved,  generally  per- 
sistent on  the  fruit.  There  are  two  ovules  in  each  cell,  but 
all  save  one  fail  to  be  nourished.  The  nut  is  a  fruit  formed 
by  the  adhesion  of  an  ovary  to  the  calyx  and  matures  either 
the  first  or  second  year  ;  it  is  always  surrounded  at  the 
base,  or  more  or  less  inclosed,  by  a  woody  involucre  called 
the  cup.  The  acorn  cup  is  of  woody  texture  made  up  of  a 
large  number  of  tiny  scales  which  have  grown  together, 
sometimes  entirely,  sometimes  with  free  tips.  The  seed  fills 
the  nut.  The  cotyledons  are  thick  and  fleshy,  the  radicle 
minute.  An  acorn  should  never  be  allowed  to  become  dry  if 
it  is  desired  that  it  should  germinate,  for  the  vital  principle 
is  fleeting. 

American  oaks  in  the  popular  mind  have  the  reputation  of 
being  slow  growers,  but  this  is  based  upon  the  habit  of  two  or 
three  species  rather  than  upon  the  habit  of  the  family.  The 
White  and  the  Bur  Oaks  grow  slowly.  The  Scarlet  Oak  is  mod- 
erately slow.  But  the  Black,  the  Swamp  White,  the  Pin,  and 
the  Red,  under  favorable  conditions,  will  all  grow  rapidly  in 
their  youth.  Probably  most  oaks  require  a  century  to  reach 
maturity  ;  they  rarely  bear  acorns  under  twenty  years  of  age 

325 


OAK   FAMILY 

and  increase  in  productiveness  as  they  grow  older.  The 
entire  family  is  especially  subject  to  attacks  of  the  gall-fly. 

Quercus  belongs  to  the  long-lived  trees  ;  the  life  of  some 
species  is  believed  to  reach  one  thousand  years.  There  are 
of  course  no  records  of  long  life  in  America,  but  there  are 
oaks  in  England  which  are  believed  to  have  been  old  trees  in 
the  time  of  William  the  Conqueror.  Pliny  mentions  a  Quer- 
cus Ilex  which  was  an  old  tree  when  Rome  was  founded  and 
which  was  still  living  in  his  time.  In  the  United  States  the 
largest  specimens  of  the  genus  are  found  in  the  Mississippi 
valley. 

Remains  of  oak  trees  are  found  far  north  of  their  present 
home  in  the  miocene  and  eocene  rocks  of  North  America, 

American  oaks  naturally  divide  themselves  into  groups 
which  are  characterized  by  the  shape  of  their  leaves  and  the 
time  required  to  bring  their  fruit  to  maturity. 

The  first  division  comprises  those  species  whose  leaves 
have  either  rounded  lobes  or  are  sinuate  toothed,  or  entire, 
but  are  destitute  of  bristles.  These  bloom  in  the  spring  and 
mature  their  acorns  the  same  season.  They  are  called 
the  White  Oak  Group,  or  the  Annuals.  The  White,  Post, 
Bur,  Swamp  White,  Chestnut,  Yellow,  and  Chinquapin  are 
Annuals. 

The  second  division  comprises  those  species  whose  leaves 
have  pointed  lobes  which  terminate  in  bristles.  These 
bloom  in  the  spring,  but  the  acorn  does  not  mature  until  the 
autumn  of  the  following  year.  They  are  called  the  Red  Oak 
Group,  or  the  Biennials.  The  Red,  Scarlet,  Black,  Spanish, 
Pin,  Bear,  Black  Jack,  Shingle  and  Willow  are  Biennials.  The 
leaves  of  the  Shingle  and  the  Willow  oak  are  destitute  of 
bristles,  but  the  acorns  mature  the  second  year. 


326 


WHITE   OAK 


White  Oak,  Qiwrais  alba. 

Leaves  3'  to  9'  Ijng,  3'  to  4'  broad. 


OAK    FAMILY 


WHITE   OAK 

Qucrciis    hlba. 

Alba,  white,  referring  to  the  pale  tint  of  the  bark. 

Common  ;  grows  to  the  height  of  eighty  or  one  hundred  feet  with 
a  trunk  three  or  four  feet  in  diameter.  Is  tolerant  of  many  soils, 
often  forms  the  principal  tree  of  large  tracts.  Reaches  its  greatest 
size  in  the  valley  of  the  lower  Ohio.  Is  difficult  to  transplant  and  is 
best  grown  from  seed  planted  where  the  tree  is  to  remain.  Grows 
rapidly. 

Bark.  —  Light  gray,  varying  to  dark  gray  and  to  white  ;  shallow 
fissured  and  scaly.  Branchlets  at  first  bright  green,  later  reddish- 
green  and  finally  light  gray. 

Wood. — Light  brown  with  paler  sapwood  ;  strong,  tough,  heavy, 
fine-grained,  durable  and  beautiful.  Used  for  construction,  ship- 
building, cooperage,  agricultural  implements,  cabinet-making,  in- 
terior finish  of  houses.     Sp.  gr,,  0.7470  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  46.35  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Reddish  brown,  obtuse,  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  five  to  nine  inches  long,  three  to  four  inches 
wide.  Obovate  or  oblong,  seven  to  nine-lobed,  usually  seven-lobed 
with  rounded  lobes  and  rounded  sinuses  ;  lobes  destitute  of  bristles  ; 
sinuses  sometimes  deep,  sometimes  shallow.  On  young  trees  the 
leaves  are  often  repand.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate, 
bright  red  above,  pale  below  and  covered  with  white  toinentuin  ; 
the  red  fades  quickly  and  they  become  silvery  greenish  white  and 
shining  ;  when  full  grown  are  thin,  bright  yellow  green,  shinmg  or 
dull  above,  pale,  glaucous  or  smooth  below;  midrib  stout,  yellow, 
primary  veins  conspicuous.  In  late  autumn  they  turn  a  deep  red 
and  drop,  or  on  young  trees  remain  on  the  branches  throughout  the 
winter.  Petioles  short,  stout,  grooved,  and  flattened.  Stipules 
linear,  caducous. 

Flowers. — May,  when  leaves  are  one-third  grown.  Staminate 
flowers  borne  in  hairy  aments  two  and  a  half  to  three  inches  long  ; 
calyx  bright  yellow,  hairy,  six  to  eight-lobed,  lobes  shorter  than  the 
stamens  ;  anthers  yellow.  Pistillate  flowers  borne  on  short  pedun- 
cles ;  involucral  scales  hairy,  reddish  ;  calyx  lobes  acute  ;  stigmas 
bright  red. 

Acorns. — Annual,  sessile  or  stalked  ;  nut  ovoid  or  oblong,  round 
at  the  apex,  light  brown,  shining,  three-quarters  to  an  inch  long  ; 
cup  cup-shaped,  encloses  about  one-fourth  of  the  nut,  tomentose  on 
the  outside,  tuberculate  at  base,  scales  with  short  obtuse  tips  becom- 
ing smaller  and  thinner  toward  the  rim. 

328 


WHITE   OAK 


Trunk  of  White  Oak,  Qncrciis  alba. 


OAK   FAMILY 

It  seems  idolatry  with  some  excuse 
When  our  forefather  Druids  in  their  oaks 
Imagined  sanctity. 

—  COWPER. 

The  White  of  all  American  oaks  is  most  akin  to  the  common  and  familiar 
tree  of  European  countries,  the  oak  of  myths  and  of  poetry,  of  Dodona  and 
Hercynia,  the  tree  which  Celt  and  Briton  worshipped,  which  shaded  the  Druid's 
sacred  fire  and  has  at  all  times  been  the  emblem  of  strength  and  longevity. 

—  Garden  and  Forest. 

Although  called  the  White  Oak  it  is  very  unusual  to  find  an 
individual  with  an  absolutely  white  bark,  the  usual  color  is  an 
ashen  gray.  All  in  all,  this  is  the  most  valuable  as  well  as 
the  most  stately  and  beautiful  of  our  oaks.  In  the  forest  it 
reaches  a  magnificent  height,  in  the  open  it  develops  into  a 
massive  broad-topped  tree  with  great  limbs  striking  out  at 
wide  angles  and  carrying  the  idea  of  rugged  strength  to  the 
very  tips  of  their  branches. 

In  spring  the  young  leaves  are  exquisite  in  their  delicate 
silvery  pink,  covered  with  soft  down  as  with  a  blanket.  The 
petioles  are  short,  and  the  leaves  which  cluster  close  to  the 
ends  of  the  shoots  are  pale  green  and  downy  with  the  result 
that  the  entire  tree  has  a  misty,  frosty  look  which  is  very 
beautiful.  This  lovely  vision  continues  for  several  days  pass- 
ing through  the  opalescent  changes  of  soft  pink,  silvery  white 
and  finally  yellow  green. 

The  autumnal  tints  of  the  White  Oak  are  also  beautiful  ;  its 
rich  purplish  red  glows  in  the  forest  and  gives  a  splendor  to 
November  days  long  after  the  maples  and  sumachs  have  shed 
their  leaves. 

The  leaves  unfold  late  ;  although  they  vary  in  form  some- 
what they  keep  fairly  true  to  the  type  and  need  never  be  mis- 
taken. The  most  divergent  form  approaches  a  skeleton  leaf. 
Oblong  or  obovate,  they  are  usually  seven-lobed  with  both 
lobe  and  sinus  rounded  and  the  lobe  destitute  of  a  bristle  at 
its  apex.  The  acorn  is  the  product  of  the  blossom  of  the 
year  and  the  kernel  is  sweet ;  not  sweet  like  that  of  the 
chestnut  or  hickory  but  sweet  compared  to  other  acorns. 

The  White  Oak  lives  long.     The  famous  Charter  Oak  of 

330 


WHITE   OAK 


White  Oak,  Cl^urcits  alba. 

Leaves  5'  to  9'  long,  3'  to  4'  broad.     Acorns  %'  to  1'  long. 


OAK   FAMILY 

Hartford  was  believed  to  be  several  hundred  years  old. 
"  When  the  first  settlers  were  clearing  their  land  the  Indians 
begged  that  it  might  be  spared.  *  It  has  been  the  guide  of 
our  ancestors  for  centuries,'  said  they,  '  as  to  the  time  of 
planting  our  corn  ;  when  the  leaves  are  the  size  of  a  mouse's 
ears,  then  is  the  time  to  put  the  seed  into  the  ground.'  The 
Indians'  request  was  granted  and  the  tree,  afterward  becom- 
ing the  custodian  of  the  lost  charter,  became  famous  for  all 
time.  It  fell  in  a  windstorm,  August  21,  1856,  and  so  deeply 
was  it  venerated  that,  at  sunset  on  the  day  of  its  fall,  the  bells 
of  the  city  were  tolled  and  a  band  of  music  played  funeral 
dirges  over  its  ruins." 

The  White  Oak  like  the  Black  Walnut  is  passing  and  unless 
replanted  will  ere  long  disappear.  Two  causes  are  at  work 
to  bring  this  about.  First,  its  valuable  timber  which  marks 
it  for  the  axe  ;  and  second,  the  sweetness  of  its  nuts  which 
causes  them  to  be  eaten  by  the  wild  creatures,  while  the 
bitter  nuts  of  other  oaks  are  allowed  to  germinate  undis- 
turbed. 

The  White  Oak  hybridizes  freely  with  the  Bur,  the  Post,  and 
the  Chestnut  Oaks. 

POST  OAK 

Qiierciis  minor. 

A  tree  reaching  the  height  of  fifty  or  sixty  feet,  often  a  shrub. 
Grows  on  dry  sandy  soil,  or  gravelly  uplands.  Ranges  from  Massa- 
chusetts to  southern  New  York  and  Michigan,  southward  to  Florida, 
and  is  the  most  abundant  oak  of  central  Texas. 

Bark. — Grayish  brown,  deeply  fissured  into  broad  scaly  ridges. 
Branchlets  at  first  covered  with  thick  yellow  brown  tomentum,  soon 
they  become  light  orange  or  reddish  brown,  still  downy,  finally  they 
are  dark  or  gray  brown. 

Wood. — Brown,  sapwood  paler  brown  ;  heavy,  hard,  close-grained, 
durable  in  contact  with  soil.  Used  for  fuel,  fencing,  and  railway 
ties.     Sp.  gr.,  0.8367  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  52.14  lbs. 

Whiter  ^;/^.f.— Chestnut  brown,  ovate,  downy,  about  one-eighth 
of  an  inch  long. 

332 


POST  OAK 


Fust  Oak,  Q^iic'ic/is  minor. 

Leaves  5'  to  8'  long,  3'  to  6'  broad. 


OAK   FAMILY 

Leaves. — Alternate,   five  to  eight  inches  long,  three  to   six  inches 
wide,  oblong-obovate,   base  wedge-shaped  or  rounded,  five-lobed  ; 
lowest  pair  of  lobes  small,  middle  pair  broad  and  undulate  or  lobed, 
terminal  lobe  itself  three-lobed  ;  midrib  broad,  yellow,  downy,  pri- 
mary veins  conspicuous.     They  come  out  of 
the  l3ud  convolute,  dark  red  above,  densely 
covered  with  thick  orange  brown  tomentum  ; 
when    full    grown   are   thick,   leathery,   deep 
dark  green,  with  stellate  tufts  of  hairs  scat- 
tered over  the  upper  surface,  the  under  sur- 
face covered  with  pale  pubescence.     In  au- 
tumn they  turn  dull  yellow  or  brown.      Peti- 
ole stout,  flattened,  downy.     Stipules  brown, 
caducous. 

Flowers. — May,  when  leaves  are  one-third 
grown.  Staminate  flowers  borne  on  aments 
three  to  four  inches  long,  hairy.  Calyx 
hairy,  yellow  ;  segments  five,  ovate,  acute, 
laciniate  ;  anthers  yellow,  hairy.  Pistillate 
flowers  sessile  or  on  peduncles  ;  stigmas 
bright  red. 

Acorns. — Annual,  sessile  or  stalked.  Nuts  one-half  to  one  inch 
long,  oval  or  ovoid,  reddish  brown,  sometimes  striped  with  darker 
brownj  sometimes  pubescent  at  apex.  Cup  cup-shaped  or  turbi- 
nate, rarely  saucer-shaped,  usually  enclosing  one-third  to  one-half 
the  nut,  reddish  brown,  tomentose,  covered  with  close  free  scales. 


Post  Oak,   QnerCHS   niiiior. 
Acorns  ^'  to  i'  long. 


I'he  Post  Oak  loves  to  grow  at  the  edge  of  the  timber-land, 
sheltered  but  not  crowded  by  other  trees.  The  bark  is  nearly 
the  color,  but  appears  thicker  than  that  of  a  White  Oak 
of  the  same  age.  It  has  a  fine-checked,  "alligator-skin" 
appearance  but  is  even  more  regular,  the  vertical  furrows 
being  so  continuous  as  to  suggest  an  up  and  down  corru- 
gation ;  this  feature  is  a  conspicuous  characteristic  of  the 
trunk. 

The  tree  has  a  straggling  ungraceful  habit  of  growth  com- 
pensated by  the  pleasing  arrangement  of  the  leaves  ;  the 
branches  do  not  subdivide  freely  but  put  out  new  shoots  all 
along  their  length,  which  gives  them  a  close-wreathed  appear- 
ance ;  and  so  the  foliage  is  distributed  evenly  through  the  tree 
instead  of  forming  a  canopy.  The  leaves  are  coarse  and  rough 
on  both  sides.  As  to  their  shape,  there  seem  to  be  two  varie- 
ties of  tree  ;  on  one  tree  the  leaves  have  uniformly  the  char- 

334 


BUR   OAK 

acteristic  cross-shape,  while  on  a  Post  Oak  just  beside  it  the 
leaves  are  irregular  and  varied  in  shape,  with  here  and  there 
one  of  typical  form. 

BUR  OAK.     MOSSY-CUP  OAK 

Qiu'rnis  Diacrocdrpa. 

Macrocarpa  refers  to  the  large  size  of  the  acorn. 

The  average  height  is  eighty  feet,  but  in  the»valley  of  the  lower 
Ohio  it  has  been  known  to  reach  one  hundred  and  sixty.  Is  tolerant 
of  many  soils  and  grows  rapidly.  Ranges  from  Nova  Scotia  to  Mani- 
toba, south  to  Massachusetts,  Pennsylvania,  Kansas  and  Texas. 
Forms   the  "  Oak   Openings  "  of  Minnesota. 

Bark. — Light  gray  brown,  deeply  furrowed,  scaly.  Branches 
with  corky  ridges.  Branchlets  stout,  at  first  greenish,  very  pubes- 
cent, afterwards  light  orange  yellow,  later  ashy  gray  or  light  brown, 
finally  dark  brown. 

Wood. — Brown  with  paler  sapwood,  heavy,  strong,  close-grained, 
durable  in  contact  with  the  ground,  valuable.  Used  in  ship  and 
boat  building,  all  sorts  of  construction,  interior  finish  of  houses,  cab- 
inet-making, cooperage,  carriages,  agricultural  implements,  railway 
ties,  fencing.     Sp.  gr.,  0.7453  5  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  46.45  lbs. 

Winter  Btids. — Light  reddish  brown,  broadly  ovate  or  acute  or 
obtuse,  pubescent,  one-eighth  to  one-fourth  of  an  inch  long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  six  to  twelve  inches  long,  three  to  six  inches 
wide,  obovateor  oblong,  lyrately  pinnatifid  or  deeply  sinuately-lobed 
or  divided.  Base  usually  long  wedge-shaped,  sinuses  round,  some- 
times deep,  sometimes  shallow,  lobes  five  to  seven  ;  the  terminal  lobe 
is  largest,  oval  or  obovate  in  outline,  and  crenately  lobed  ;  or  smal- 
ler and  three-lobed  ;  the  lateral  lobes  are  larger  than  the  basal  lobes. 
A  second  form  is  broadly  ovate  and  deeply  or  slightly  crenately-lobed. 
A  third  form  is  pinnatifidly  cut  into  five  or  seven  pairs  of  lateral 
lobes  with  a  three-lobed  terminal.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  con- 
volute, downy,  yellow  green  above  and  silvery  white  below.  When 
full  grown  are  thick,  leathery,  bright  green,  shining  above,  pale 
green  or  silvery  and  coated  with  pale  or  rusty  pubescence  below  ; 
midrib  stout,  pale,  often  pubescent  below,  primary  veins  conspicuous. 
In  autumn  they  turn  dull  yellow  or  yellowish  brown.  Petioles  short, 
stout,  flattened  and  grooved,  enlarged  at  the  base.  Stipules  varying 
in  form,  usually  an  inch  in  length,  sometimes  persistent. 

Flowers. — May,  when  leaves  are  one-third  grown.  Staminate 
flowers  borne  in  slender  hairy  aments  from  four  to  six  inches  long; 
calyx  yellow  green,  four  to  six-lobed,  downy  ;  stamens  four  to  six  ;  fil- 

335 


OAK   FAMILY 

aments  short ;  anthers  yellow.  Pistillate  flowers  are  sessile  or  borne 
on  short  peduncles,  involucral  scales  reddish,  tomentose  ;  stigmas 
bright  red. 

Acoriis. — Annual,  sessile  or  stalked,  solitary,  variable  in  size  and 
shape.  Nut  oval  or  ovate,  pubescent,  from  one-half  to  two  inches 
in  length  ;  cup  cup-shaped,  rarely  shallow  but  usually  deep,  enclos- 
ing from  one-third  to  nearly  the  entire  nut,  light  brown,  downy  inside, 
outside  dark  brown,  tomentose,  covered  with  large  imbricated  scales 
which  near  the  rim  become  half  free  and  form  a  fringe-like  border. 
Kernel  white. 


The  Bur  Oak  ranges  from  Manitoba  to  Texas  and  from 
the  foot-hills  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  the  Atlantic  coast. 
It  goes  farther  to  the  northwest  than  any  other  of  our  eastern 
oaks,  it  varies  in  size  from  a  shrub  in  Manitoba,  to  a  magnifi- 
cent tree  one  hundred  and  sixty  feet  high  in  southern  Illinois. 
It  is  the  most  abundant  oak  of  Kansas  and  of  Nebraska,  it 
forms  the  scattered  forests  known  as  "  The  Oak  Openings  " 
of  Minnesota. 

Three  marked  characters  distinguish  the  Bur  Oak.  Its 
leaves  have  a  peculiar  though  variable  outline  which  is  un- 
mistakable, rarely  if  ever  are  two  alike,  yet  all  bear  so  marked 
a  resemblance  that  there  is  no  difficulty  in  distinguishing 
them.  Every  Bur  Oak  leaf  is  somewhere,  usually  about  the 
middle,   cut  by   two   opposite  sinuses  nearly   to   the   midrib. 

The  terminal  lobe  so  formed  may 
itself  be  lobed  or  toothed  or  re- 
pand,  the  lower  division  may  be 
lobed  or  entire,  but  with  all  these 
variations  the  leaves  retain  a 
general  similarity. 

In  the  spring  they  are  yellow 
green  as  they  burst  from  the  bud 
and  do  not  like  so  many  others 
take  on  a  stain  of  red.  At  first 
they  are  downy  and  woolly  but 
soon  become  smooth  and  shining. 
The  leaves  spread  out  horizontally  from  the  new  shoots  and 
the  aments  hang  down  in  thick  clusters.     Their  autumn  col- 

336 


Bur  Oak,  Qiiercus  macrocarpa. 
Acorns  %'  to  2'  long. 


BUR   OAK 


Bur  Oak,  Qiwrciis  inacrocarpa. 

Leaves  6'  to   12'  long,   y  to  b'  broad. 


OAK   FAMILY 

oring,  like  their  spring  coloring,  is  without  red,  being  bright 
3''ellow  or  yellowish  brown.  The  acorns  are  peculiar,  but 
the  cup  is  the  most  noticeable  thing  about  them.  The 
scales  are  so  large  and  free  that  they  make  the  cup  look 
mossy.  The  rim  is  beautifully  fringed.  Then,  too,  this 
mossy  cup  fairly  embraces  the  nut,  covers  two-thirds  to 
three-fourths  of  its  surface.  This  is  the  normal  fruit  ;  at 
the  north  where  the  tree  changes  to  a  shrub  the  acorn  is 
small  and  the  cup  loses  its  furbelows. 

The  corky  wings  which  are  frequently  found  on  the  young 
branches  form  a  third  distinguishing  character.  These  ridges 
begin  to  form  usually  the  third  or  fourth  season  and  remain 
for  several  years,  finally  disappearing  as  the  branches  become 
old.  When  it  is  remembered  that  the  cork  of  commerce  is 
the  outer  bark  of  an  oak  tree  native  to  southern  Europe,  it 
is  interesting  to  see  a  northern  species  showing  a  tendency 
to  produce  the  same  thing. 


CHESTNUT  OAK.  ROCK  CHESTNUT  OAK 

Qjiercus  prhnis. 

A  mountain  tree  though  found  in  the  low  lands,  usually  sixty  to 
seventy  feet  high,  sometimes  one  hundred  ;  the  trunk  dividing  into 
large  limbs  not  very  far  from  the  ground.  Ranges  from  Maine  to 
Georgia  and  Alabama,  westward  through  Ohio  and  southward  to 
Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 

Bark. — D;irk,  fissured  into  broad  ridges,  scaly.  Branchlets  stout, 
at  first  bronze  green,  later  they  become  reddish  brown,  finally  dark 
gray  or  brown.      Heavily  charged  with  tannic  acid. 

IVood. — Dark  brown,  sapwood  lighter  ;  heavy,  hard,  strong, 
tough,  close-grained,  durable  in  contact  with  the  soil.  Used  for 
fencing,  fuel,  and  railway  ties.  Sp.  gr.,  0.7499;  weight  of  cu.  ft., 
46.73  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Light  chestnut  brown,  ovate,  acute,  one-fourth  to 
one-half  of  an    inch  long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  five  to  nine  inches  long,  three  to  four  and  a 
half  wide,  obovate  to  oblong-lanceolate,  wedge-shaped  or  rounded 
at  base,  coarsely  crenately  toothed,  teeth  rounded  or  acute,  apex 

338 


CHESTNUT   OAK 


Chestnut  Oak,  Qiwrciis  pnniis 

Leaves  s'  to  9'  long,   3'  to  4'  broad. 


OAK   FAMILY 

rounded  or  acute.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  convolute,  yellow 
green  or  bronze,  shining  above,  very  pubescent  below.  When  full 
grown  are  thick,  firm,  dark  yellow  green,  somewhat  shining  above, 
pale  green  and  pubescent  below  ;  midribs  stout,  yellow,  primary 
veins  conspicuous.  In  autumn  they  turn  a  dull  yellow  soon  chang- 
ing into  a  yellow  brown.  Petioles  stout  or  slender,  short.  Stipules 
linear  to  lanceolate,  caducous. 

Flowers. — May,  when  leaves  are  one-third  grown.  Staminate 
flowers  are  borne  in  hairy  aments  two  to  three  inches  long;  calyx 
pale  yellow,  hairy,  deeply  seven  to  nine-lobed  ;  stamens  seven  to 
nine  ;  anthers  bright  yellow.  Pistillate  flowers  on  short  spikes  ;  pe- 
duncles green,  stout,  hairy  ;  involucral  scales  hairy  ;  stigmas  short, 
bright  red. 

Acorns. — Annual,  singly  or  in  pairs  ;  nut  oval,  rounded  or  acute 
at  apex,  bright  chestnut  brown,  shining,  one  and  a  quarter  to  one 
and  one-half  inches  in  length;  cup,  cup-shaped  or  turbinate,  usu- 
ally inclosing  one-half  or  one-third  of  the  nut,  thin,  light  brown  and 
downy  within,  reddish  brown  and  rough  outside,  tuberculate  near 
the  base.  Scales  small,  much  crowded  toward  the  rim  sometimes 
making  a  fringe.     Kernel  white,  sweetish. 


The  Chestnut  Oak,  Q.  priuiis,  and  the  Yellow  Oak,  Q.  acu- 
7ninata^  have  many  characters  in  common.  The  extreme 
typical  forms  of  each  differ,  but  they  vary  toward  each  other 
until  the  dividing  line  is  difficult  to 
draw  ;  at  their  widest  they  are  no  far- 
ther apart  than  the  different  forms  of 
the  black  oaks.  The  Chestnut  Oak  is 
accredited  in  the  books  to  dry  soil  and 
sandy  ridges  but  it  loves  wet  situa- 
tions as  well.  The  little  streams  of 
northern  Ohio  which  make  their  way 
into  Lake  Erie  cut  for  themselves  deep 
channels  through  the  yielding  sh^le 
and  form  ravines  from  fifty  to  two 
hundred  feet  deep.  Down  the  sides 
of  these  ravines  and  into  the  narrow- 
intervale  crowd  the  chestnut  oaks, 
until  the  lowest  stands  at  the  water's  edge,  its  pendulous 
branches  bending  over  the  stream. 

The  leaves  are  obovate  to  oblong,  with  rounded  teeth  and 

340 


Chestnut  Oak,  Qucicus  pi i 
nns.  Acorns  \'%'  to  i^ 
long. 


CHESTNUT   OAK 


Trunk  of  Chestnut  Oak,  Qiiercus  priniis. 


OAK  FAMILY 

eleven  to  thirteen  pairs  of  primary  veins.  The  foliage  mass 
is  a  light  yellow  green,  the  tree  in  the  open  becomes  round- 
topped.  The  acorns  are  large,  long-oval,  usually  in  pairs  and 
borne  in  deep  cups  which  are  rough  outside  and  very  downy 
within.  They  are  endowed  with  the  power  of  quick  germina- 
tion and  scarcely  reach  the  ground  before  the  shell  breaks 
and  the  radicle  protrudes.  The  kernel  is  sweetish  and  eager- 
ly eaten  by  the  squirrels.     The  fruit  is  never  abundant. 


YELLOW   OAK.     CHESTNUT   OAK.     CHINQUAPIN 

Qiicrcns  acuminata. 

A  tree  varying  from  thirty  to  one  hundred  or  one  hundred  and 
sixty  feet  high,  head  small,  narrow,  round-topped.  Prefers  a  lime- 
stone soil,  ranges  from  New  York  westward  through  southern  On- 
tario to  southeastern  Nebraska  and  eastern  Kansas,  southward  in 
the  Atlantic  region  to  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  west  of  the 
Alleghanies   southward  to  the  Gulf  of  Mexico. 

Bark. — Light  silvery  gray,  sometimes  white,  scaly.  Branchlets 
reddish  green  at  first,  then  dark  brown,  finally  gray  or  brown. 

Wood. — Dark  brown,  sapwood  pale  brown  ;  heavy,  hard,  strong, 
close-grained,  durable  in  contact  with  the  soil.  Used  for  fencing, 
cooperage,  manufacture  of  wheels  and  railway  ties.  Sp.  gr.,  0.8605  ; 
weight  of  cu.  ft. ,  53.63  lbs. 

Wmtei-  Buds. — Pale  chestnut  brown,  ovate,  acute,  one-fourth  of 
an  inch  long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  four  to  seven  inches  long  and  two  to  five  inches 
broad,  oblong  or  lanceolate,  wedge-shaped  or  rounded  at  base,  sinu- 
ately  toothed,  teeth  acute  or  rounded,  each  tipped  with  a  small  gland- 
ular point,  apex  acute  or  acuminate.  They  come  out  of  the  bud 
convolute,  bronze  green,  hairy  above,  tomentose  below,  when  full 
grown  are  thick,  light  yellow  green  above,  pale  often  silvery  white, 
downy  below  ;  midribs  stout,  yellow  ;  primary  veins  conspicuous.  In 
autumn  they  turn  deep  yellow  and  scarlet.  Petioles  slender,  slightly 
flattened.     Stipules  linear  or  lanceolate,  brown,  caducous. 

Flowers. — May,  when  leaves  are  one-third  grown.  Staminate  flow- 
ers borne  in  hairy  aments,  three  or  four  inches  long  ;  calyx  light  yel- 
low, hairy,  deeply  six  to  eight-parted ;  filaments  short ;  anthers  yel- 
low. Pistillate  flowers  sessile  or  borne  in  short  spikes,  tomentose; 
stigmas  bright  red, 

342 


YELLOW   OAK 


Yellow  Oak,  Qiiercus  acuminata. 
Leaves  4'  to  7'  long,  2'  to  5'  brpad. 


OAK    FAMILY 


Acorns. — Annual,  sessile  or  stalked,  solitary  or  in  pairs;  nut  oval, 
rounded  at  apex,  pubescent  at  apex,  from  one-half  to  one  inch  in 
length,  light  chestnut  brown  ;  cup  cup-shaped  inclosing  one  half  of 
the  nut,  thin  light  brown  and  downy  inside,  red  brown  outside,  to- 
mentose,  scales  thickened  at  the  base,  tips  free  toward  the  edge  and 
forming  a  fringe  at  the  rim.     Kernel  sweet. 

The  Yellow  Oak  is  one  of  the  mid-continental  trees,  abun- 
dant throughout  the  Mississippi  valley  and  reaching  the 
greatest  size  in  southern  Indiana  and  Illinois.  Like  Qi/er- 
cus  alba  it  frequently  occurs  with  a  white  bark.     The  three 

chestnut  oaks,  Que  reus  priims^ 
Qucrcus  acuminata^  and  Que  re  us 
prinoidcs  run  into  each  other  by 
insensible  gradations,  and  speci- 
mens will  always  be  found  on 
the  border  line  that  will  puzzle 
the  observer.  Often  when  the 
leaves  vary,  the  acorns  will  fix  the 
species.  Those  of  the  Yellow 
Oak  are  small  compared  with 
those  of  the  others.  All  are  to  a 
certain  degree  edible. 

The  foliage  mass  of  the  Yel- 
low Oak  is  a  light  yellow  green.  The  leaves  unfold  a  bronze 
green,  the  newest  sometimes  with  a  purple  tinge,  and  are 
so  crowded  at  the  end  of  the  branchlets  that  the  foliage 
has  a  tufted  look.  The  autumnal  tint  is  yellow,  sometimes 
flushed  with  scarlet. 


Yeliow  Oak,   Qiirrciis  aciitniitata. 
Acorn   ^'   to    \'  long. 


DWARF    CHINQUAPIN   OAK.     SCRUB    CHESTNUT   OAK 

Qucrcus  pr in  aides. 

A  shrub  growing  in  clumps,  varying  in  height  from  two  to  twelve 
feet.  Ranges  from  Massachusetts  to  North  Carolina,  westward  to 
Missouri,  Nebraska,  central  Kansas,  Indian  Territory  and  eastern 
Texas.  In  Missouri  and  Kansas  becoming  tree-like.  Prefers  dry 
sandy  or  rocky  soil. 

344 


CHINQUAPIN   OAK 


Chinquapin  Oak,  Qncrcns  pnuoides. 

Leaves  3'  to  b'  long,    1'  to  3'  broad. 


OAK   FAMILY 

Bark. — Light  brown  ;  branchlets  at  fust  dark  green  and  scurfy, 
finally  reddish  brown  or  ashen  gray  ;  charged  with  tannic  acid. 

Winter  Buds. — Light  brown,  ovate  or  globose,  obtuse,  one-eighth 
of  an  inch  long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  obovate  or  oblong,  three  to  six  inches  long,  one 
to  three  inches  wide,  wedge-shaped  at  base,  coarsely  undulate -toothed 
with  rounded  or  acute  teeth,  acute  or  acuminate  apex  ;  midrib  and 
primary  veins  conspicuous.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  convolute, 
reddish  yellow,  hairy  above,  coated  with  silver  tomentum  below,  with 
dark  glands  at  the  points  of  the  teeth,  when  full  grown  dark  yellow 
green,  rather  shining  above,  pale  green  or  silvery  Avhite,  covered 
with  soft  fine  pubescence  below.  In  autumn  they  turn  bright  orange 
and  scarlet.  Petioles  stout,  short,  flattened,  grooved  ;  stipules  ca- 
ducous. 

Flowers. — Appear  when  leaves  are  one-third  grown.  Staminate 
aments  one  and  one-half  to  two  and  one-half  inches  long,  hairy. 
Calyx  is  pale  yellow  green,  hairy,  five  to  nine-lobed.  Stamens  five 
to  nine  ;  filaments  slender  ;  anthers  yel- 
low. Pistillate  flowers  on  short  pedun- 
cles ;  involucral  scales  covered  with  sil- 
very white  tomentum  ;  stigmas  bright 
red. 

Acorns. — Abundant,  annual,  sessile 
or  stalked  ;  nut  oval,  rounded  or  obtuse 
at  apex  which  is  covered  with  white 
down,  pale  chestnut  brown,  shining, 
one-half  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long; 

Chinquapin  Oak,  Quercus  prinoides.    Seed  SWeCt  ;    CUp  COVCrS  One-half    tO  tWO- 

Acorns  ^'  to  y^'  long.  thirds    of    the    nut,    thin,    deeply   cup- 

shaped,  light  brown  and  downy  inside, 
hoary  with  tomentum  outside.  Scales  loosely  imbricated,  red- 
tipped,  acute,  thickened  toward  the  base  of  the  cup.  The  acorns 
are  not  only  eaten  by  swine  and  cattle  but  the  wild  creatures  like 
them  as  well. 

SWAMP   WHITE   OAK 

Quei-cus  plaiaiioides.       Qjierciis  bicolor. 

Ordinarily  sixty  to  seventy  feet  high  maximum  height,  one  hun- 
dred and  ten,  with  narrow  round-topped  head  and  pendulous 
branches.  Ranges  from  Quebec  to  Georgia  and  westward  to 
Arkansas.     Never    abundant.     Loves  the    borders  of  swamps. 

Bark. — Gray  brown,  deeply  fissured  into  flat  ridges,  scaly. 
Branches  greenish  gray,  smooth.  On  young  stems  smooth,  flaky. 
Branchlets  at  first  stout,  green,  shining,  later  reddish  brown,  finally 
gray  brown  or  dark  brown. 

346 


SWAMP   WHITE    OAK 


Swamp   White  Oak,  Qiwmis  pLitanoides. 
Leaves  5'  to  6'  long,  3'  to  4'  broad. 


OAK  FAMILY 

Wood. — Pale  brown,  sapwood  the  same  ;  heavy,  hard,  strong, 
tough,  coarse-grained,  checks  in  drying.  Used  in  construction,  in- 
terior finish  of  houses,  carriage  and  boat  building,  agricultural  im- 
plements, railway  ties,  fuel  and  fencing.  Sp.  gr.,  0.7662  ;  weight 
of  cu.  ft.,  47.75  lbs. 

Wifiter  Buds. — Pale  chestnut  brown,  hairy,  ovate,  one-fourth  of 
an  inch  long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  five  to  six  inches  long,  two  to  four  inches 
broad,  obovate  or  oblong-obovate,  gradually  narrowed  and  wedge- 
shaped  at  base,  margin  coarsely  sinuate-dentate  or  sometimes 
almost  pinnately  lobed,  apex  rounded,  sometimes  acute  ;  mid- 
rib stout,  pale,  rounded  above  ;  primary  veins  conspicuous. 
They  come  out  of  the  bud  convolute,  pale  bronze  green,  hairy 
above,  coated  below  with  silvery  tomentum  ;  when  full  grown 
are  thick,  bright  yellow  green  above,  pale  green,  downy,  often  sil- 
very white,  below.  In  autumn  they  turn  dull  yellow  bronze. 
Petioles  short,  stout,  grooved  and  flattened.  Stipules  linear,  brown, 
caducous. 

Flowers. — May,  when  leaves  are  half  grown.  Staminate  flowers 
are  borne  in  hairy  aments  three  to  four  inches  long  ;  calyx  yel- 
lowish-green, hairy,  five  to  nine-lobed  ;  lobes  narrow,  acute,  short- 
er than  the  stamens  ;  filaments  slender,  anthers  yellow.  Pistillate 
flowers  are  borne  on  tomentose  or  long  peduncles,  in  few-flowered 
spikes  ;  involucral  scales  covered  with  thick  rusty  tomentum  ;  stig- 
mas bright  red. 

Acorns. — Annual,  on  long  peduncles,  often  in  pairs.  Nut  pale 
chestnut  brown,   oval,  broad  at  base,   pubescent  at  apex,  an  inch 

to  an  inch  and  a  half  long  ;  cup,  cup- 
shaped,  light  brown  and  downy  with- 
in, chestnut  brown  without,  roughened 
toward  the  base  by  the  thickened  tips 
of  the  acute  scales,  higher  on  the  cup 
these  are  small,  crowded,  often  free, 
and  sometimes  form  a  fringe  about  the 
rim.      Kernel,  white,  sweet. 

Unlike  the  White  Oak  whose 
leaves  unfold  a  beautiful  red,  those 
of  the  Swamp  White  come  out  a 
bronze  green  ;   their  autumnal   tint 

Swamp  White    Oak,  Oucrcus  _ 

platanotdes.       Acorns     i'  to  is  a  dull   yelloW   withoUt    3.    gleam    of 

'^' '"^"S-  red  ;  this  quickly  changes  to  a  pale 

yellow  brown. 
The  famous  Wads  worth  oak,  so  named  from  the  estate  on 
which  it  grew,  was  a  Swamp  White  Oak.     It  stood  for  many 

348 


RED   OAK 

years  on  the  bank  of  the  Genesee  River  about  a  mile  from  the 
village  of  Geneseo,  New  York.  Its  circumference  of  twenty- 
seven  feet  has  kept  its  memory  green  although  the  tree  has 
long  since  been  destroyed  by  the  washing  away  of  the  river- 
bank. 

RED  OAK 

Qiic'rcits  rubra. 

Usually  seventy  to  eighty  feet  high,  maximum  height  one  hundred 
and  forty,  with  stout  branches  growing  at  right  angles  to  the  stem  ; 
forming  a  narrow  round-topped  head  ;  grows  rapidly  ;  is  tolerant 
of  many  soils  and  varied  situations,  but  prefers  the  glacial  drift 
and  well-drained  borders  of  streams.  Ranges  from  Maine  to 
Georgia  and  Tennessee,  westward  to  Minnesota  and  Kansas. 

Bark.  —  Dark  gray  brown  tinged  with  red,  with  broad,  thin,  rounded 
ridges,  scaly.  On  young  trees  and  large  stems,  smooth  and  light 
gray.  Rich  in  tannic  acid.  Branchlets  slender,  at  first  bright 
green,  shining,  then  dark  red,  finally  dark  brown. 

Wood. — Pale  reddish  brown,  sapwood  darker  ;  heavy,  hard, 
strong,  coarse-grained.  Checks  in  drying,  but  when  carefully  treated 
may  be  successfully  used  for  furniture.  Also  used  in  construction 
and  for  interior  finish  of  houses.  Sp.  gr.,  0.6621  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft., 
41.25  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Light  chestnut  brown,  ovate,  acute,  one-fourth  of 
an  inch  long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  seven  to  nine-lobed,  oblong-ovate  to  oblong, 
five  to  nine  inches  long,  four  to  si.x  inches  broad  ;  lobes  tapering 
gradually  from  broad  Joases,  acute,  and  usually  repandly-den- 
tate  and  terminating  with  long  bristle-pointed  teeth  ;  the  second 
pair  of  lobes  from  apex  are  largest ;  midrib  and  primary  veins 
conspicuous.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  convolute,  pink,  cov- 
ered with  soft  silky  down  above,  coated  with  thick  white  tomen- 
tum  below.  When  full  grown  are  dark  green  and  smooth, 
sometimes  shining  above,  yellow  green,  smooth  or  hairy  on  the 
axils  of  the  veins  below.  In  autumn  they  turn  a  rich  red,  some- 
times brown.  Petioles  stout,  one  to  two  inches  long,  often  red  ; 
stipules  caducous. 

Flotvers. — May,  when  leaves  are  half  grown.  Staminate  aments 
four  to  five  inches  long,  hairy.  Calyx  four  to  five-lobed,  greenish  ; 
stamens  four  to  five  ;  filaments  slender  ;  anthers  yellow.  Pistillate 
flowers  borne  on  short  peduncles  ;  involucral  scales  broadly  ovate, 
dark  reddish-brown  ;  stigmas  elongated,  bright  green. 

349 


OAK   FAMILY 


\ 


Red  Oak,  Qnercus  rubra. 
Leaves  of  broad  type,  7'  to  9'  long. 


RED   OAK 


Rea  Oak,  Qiwrcus  rubra. 
Leaves  of  narrow  type,  5'  to  7'  long. 


OAK    FAMILY 


Acorns. — Ripen  in  the  autumn  of  the  second  year  ;  solitary  or  in 
pairs,  sessile  or  stalked  ;  nut  oblong-ovoid  with  broad  base,  full, 
sometimes  narrowed  at  apex,  three-fourths  to  one  and  one-fourth 
of  an  inch  long  ;  cup,  saucer-shaped,  usually  covers  only  the  base, 
sometimes  one-fourth  of  the  nut,  thick,  shallow,  reddish  brown, 
somewhat  downy  within,  covered  with  thin  imbricated  reddish 
brown  scales.     Kernel  white  and  very  bitter. 

What  gnarled  stretch,  what  depth  of  shade  is  his  ! 
There  needs  no  crown  to  mark  the  forest's  king. 
How  in  his  leaves  outshines  full  summers  bliss  ! 
Sun,  storm,  rain,  dew,  to  him  their  tribute  bring. 

How  towers  he,  too,  amid  the  billowed  snows. 
An  unquelled  exile  from  the  summers  throne, 
Whose  plain,  uncinctured  front  more  kingly  shows, 
Now  that  the  obscurmg  courtier  leaves  are  flown. 

—James  Russell  Lowell. 

What  dehcate  fans  are  the  great  Red  Oak  leaves  now  just  developeti,  so  thin 
and  of  so  tender  a  green  !  They  hang  loosely  flaccidly  down  at  the  mercy  of  the 
wind,  like  a  new-born  butterfly  or  dragon  fly.  A  strong  cold  wind  would  blacken 
and  tear  them.  They  have  not  yet  been  hardened  by  exposure,  these  raw  and 
tender  lungs  of  the  tree.  —Henry  D.  Thoreau. 


The  Red  Oak  finds  its  finest  development  in  the  states 
lying  north  of  the  Ohio  river  ;  on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake 
Erie  it  becomes  a  beautiful  tree  with  a  massive  trunk,  a  mag- 
nificent rounded  head  and  smooth  clean-cut  limbs  which 
strike  out  from  the  trunk  at  large  angles.  The  bark  is 
smooth  ;  even  in  old  age  the  trunk  never  becomes  extremely 
rough  and  the  limbs  are  always  smooth.  In  color  it  is  a 
brownish  gray  until  the  tree  is  old,  when  it  becomes  dark 
brown. 

The  leaves  vary  from  oblong  to  obovate  and  are  of  two 
typical  forms.  The  full  leaf  Avith  the  shallow  sinuses  is 
the  youthful  form  although  old  trees  are  often  found  bearing 
it.  That  with  the  deeper  sinuses  is  perhaps  the  more  common 
form.  Often  the  petiole  and  midvein  are  a  rich  red  color  in 
midsummer  and  early  autumn,  though  this  is  not  true  of  all 
red  oaks.  The  leaves  come  out  of  the  bud  a  lovely  pink 
and  white,  in  midsummer  they  become  a  deep  shining  green 
and  in  autumn  they  turn  a  rich,  dark,  purplish  red.     The  en- 

352 


RED   OAK 


Trunk  uf  Red  Oak,  Qttercus  rubra. 


OAK   FAMILY 

tire  subject  of  spring  and  autumn  tints  is  becoming  more  and 
more  interesting  as  it  is  more  carefully  studied.  It  is  now 
well  understood  that  the  frost  is  not  a  factor  in  the  problem 
and  that  both  spring  and  autumn  tints  arise  from  changes  in 
the  character  of  the  chlorophyll ;  the  one  when  the  chloro- 
phyll is  not  yet  mature  and  the  other 
when  it  is  dying. 

The  acorns  are  characteristic,  and 
.  need  never  be  mistaken.  They  are  the 
largest  borne  by  any  oak  of  the  Biennial 
group,  and  sit  in  flat  shallow  cups  with 
prominent  rims  and  close  scales.  The 
kernel    is    white    and    extremely   bitter. 

Red   Oak,  Quercus  rubra. 

Acorns  %'  to  ij^'  long.  Wildwood  crcaturcs  care  little  for  them 
and  they  remain  under  the  trees  all  win- 
ter unless  eaten  by  swine.  The  Red  Oak  ranges  farther 
north  than  any  other  of  the  Biennials  ;  it  has  been  found 
on  the  banks  of  the  Saskatchewan.  Climatic  conditions  so 
affect  it  that  there  it  ceases  to  be  a  tree,  nor  is  it  even  a 
shrub,  but  it  transforms  itself  by  stress  of  circumstances 
into  burls  and  knobs  and  low  knotted  heads  only  a  foot  or 
two  high. 


SCARLET    OAK 

Qii^rcus  coccinea. 

Usually  seventy  or  eighty  feet  high,  maximum  height  one  hun- 
dred and  sixty,  with  slender  trunk,  rather  small  branches,  open 
narrow  head.  Prefers  a  dry,  sandy  soil.  Ranges  from  Maine 
through  central  New  York  to  southern  Ontario,  west  through 
Michigan  and  Minnesota  to  Nebraska,  south  on  the  Alleghanies  to 
North  Carolina  and  Tennessee. 

Ba7'k. — Dark  brown,  with  shallow  fissures,  scaly.  Young  stems 
and  branches  smooth  and  light  brown.  Inner  side  of  bark  reddish 
or  gray.  Branchlets  at  first  scurfy,  later  pale  green  and  shining, 
finally  reddish,  at  last  light  brown. 

354 


SCARLET   OAK 


Scarlet  Oak,  Qiwrciis  coccinea. 

Leaves  3'  to  6'  long,  2}^'  to  5'  broad. 


OAK   FAMILY 

Wood. — Light  reddish  brown,  sapwood  darker  ;  heavy,  hard, 
coarse-grained,  strong.     Sp.  gr. ,  0.7095  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft  ,  42.20  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Dark  reddish  brown,  hairy,  acute,  one-eighth  to 
one-fourth  of  an  inch  long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  three  to  six  inches  long,  two  and  one-half  to 
five  broad,  oblong  or  obovate  or  oval  in  outline,  truncate  or  wedge- 
shaped  at  base,  deeply  divided  by  wide  sinuses  into  seven  or  nine 
lobes,  which  are  repandly  dentate,  terminating  with  bristle-pointed 
teeth.  Terminal  lobe  is  three-toothed,  the  middle  division  being 
much  longer  than  the  other  furnished  with  two  small  teeth  near  its 
apex.  Lateral  lobes  are  obovate,  oblique  or  spreading  or  falcate, 
the  middle  ones  usually  the  largest  of  all  ;  midrib  and  primary 
veins  conspicuous.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  convolute,  bright 
red,  coated  beneath  with  silvery  white  tomentum,  finally  become 
green  though  still  silvery ;  when  full  grown  are  bright  green, 
smooth  and  very  shining  above,  paler  and  less  shining  beneath. 
In  autumn  they  turn  a  brilliant  scarlet  color.  Petioles  slender, 
terete,  one  and  one-half  to  two  inches  long.     Stipules  caducous. 

Flowers. — May,  when  leaves  are  half  grown.  Staminate  aments 
slender,  three  to  four  inches  long.  Calyx  is  hairy,  red  in  bud,  four 
to  five  lobed.  Stamens  usually  four  ;  filaments  slender  ;  anthers 
yellow.  Pistillate  flowers  borne  on  downy  peduncles  ;  involucral 
scales  ovate,  downy  :    stigmas  bright  red. 

Acorns. — Ripen  in  the  autumn  of  second  year.  Sessile  or  stalked, 
solitary  or  in  pairs.  Nut  oval,  or  oblong-ovate  or  hemispherical, 
truncate  or  rounded  at  base,  rounded  at  apex,  one-half  to  one  inch 
long,  light  reddish  brown,  occasionally  striate  ;  cup  cup-shaped  or 
turbinate,  incloses  one-third  to  one-half  of  nut,  light  reddish  brown 
on  inner  surface,  covered  with  closely  imbricated,  light  reddish  brown 
scales.     Kernel  whitish. 

Stand  under  this  tree  and  see  how  finely  its  leaves  are  cut  against  the  sky,  as 
it  were  only  a  few  sharp  points  extending  from  a  midrib.  They  look  like  double, 
treble  or  quadruple  crosses.  They  are  far  more  ethereal  than  the  less  deeply 
scaUoped  oak  leaves.  They  have  so  little  leafy  terra-fir7na  that  they  appear 
melting  away  in  the  light  and  scarcely  obstruct  our  view.  The  leaves  of  very 
young  plants  are  like  those  of  full-grown  oaks  of  other  species,  more  entire, 
snnple,  and  lumpish  in  their  outlines,  but  these  raised  high  on  old  trees  have 
solved  the  leafy  problem.  Lifted  higher  and  higher  and  sublimated  more  and 
more,  putting  off  some  earthiness  and  cultivating  more  intimacy  with  the  light 
each  year,  they  have  at  length  the  least  possible  amount  of  earthy  matter,  and 
the  greatest  spread  and  grasp  of  sky  influences.  There  they  dance  arm  in  arm 
with  the  light, — tripping  it  on  fantastic  points,  fit  partners  in  those  aerial  halls. 
So  intimately  mingled  are  they  with  it,  that  what  with  their  slenderness  and 
their  glossy  surfaces,  you  can  hardly  tell  at  last  what  in  the  dance  is  leaf  and 
what  is  light. 

I  am  again  struck  with  their  beauty,  when,  a  month  later,  they  thickly  strew 
the  ground  in  the  woods  piled  one  upon  another  under  my  feet.  They  are 
then  brown  above,  but  purple  beneath,  with  their  narrow  lobes  and  their  bold 

356 


BLACK   OAK 

deep  scallops  reaching  almost  to  the  midrib.  They  suggest  that  material  must 
be  cheap  or  else  there  has  been  lavish  expense  in  their  creation,  if  so  much  has 
been  cut  out. 

—Henry  D.  Thoreau. 


A  Scarlet  Oak  growing  in  the  open  forms  a  round  dome- 
like head  whose  lower  branches  frequently  sweep  the  ground. 
Its  leaves  are  a  bright  shining  green,  borne  on  slender  peti- 
oles so  that  they  respond  to  every  zeph- 
yr's breath.  Their  spring-time  tint  is 
bright  pink  and  silvery  white,  but  by  the 
time  the  flowers  come  the  leaves  are 
pale  green,  growing  darker  as  they  grow 
older,  but  never  even  in  midsummer  do 
they  become  dark  green.  The  especial 
glory  of  the  species  lies  in  the  brilliant 
color  which  the  leaves  assume  late  in 
autumn.  The  autumnal  tints  of  other 
oaks  are  beautiful,  but  they  pale  their  fires  before  the  ruddy 
gleam  of  the  Scarlet. 

The  acorns  greatly  resemble  those  of  the  Black  Oak,  but 
the  kernel  is  white  instead  of  yellow.  This  difference  is 
characteristic  and  persistent  and  may  often  decide  the  ques- 
tion of  species  for  a  doubtful  tree. 


Scarlet    Oak,   Qucrcus 
coccinea.  Acorns 

]^'  to  i'  long. 


BLACK    OAK.     YELLOW   OAK 


Quenus  velntlna.      Qiierciis  thictoria. 

A  tree  ordinarily  seventy  to  eighty  feet  high  ;  in  the  lower  Ohio 
valley  reaching  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  with  slender-branches  and 
narrow  open  head.  Prefers  the  glacial  drift,  but  is  found  on  the 
mountain  side  ;  ranges  farther  south  than  any  other  of  the  Red  Oak 
group. 

Bark. — Dark  brown  or  black  on  old  trees,  deeply  furrowed,  scaly; 
on  young  trees,  stems  and  branches,  smooth.  Inner  bark  is  deep 
orange  yellow,  heavily  charged  with  tannic  acid  and  largely  used  in 
tanning.  Branchlets  stout,  covered  with  rusty  tomentum  at  first, 
later  they  become  reddish  brown,  finally  dark  brown. 

357 


OAK    FAMILY 

Wood. — Bright  brown  tinged  with  red,  sapwood  paler;  heavy, 
hard,  strong,  coarse-grained,  checks  in  drying.  Sp.  gr.,  0.7045  ; 
weight  of  cu.  ft.,  43.90  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Brown,  ovate,  angled,  obtuse,  covered  with  to- 
mentum,  one-fourth  to  one-half  inch  long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  five  to  six  inches  long,  three  to  four  inches 
wide,  ovate  or  obovate,  usually  seven-lobed  and  sometimes  divided 
nearly  to  the  middle  by  wide,  rounded  sinuses  into  narrow,  obovate, 
dentate  lobes  with  stout  bristle-pointed  teeth  ;  or  sometimes  the 
lobes  are  nearly  entire,  tapering  gradually  from  a  broad  base, 
each  tipped  with  a  bristle  ;  or  the  sinuses  are  shallow,  the  heavy 
part  of  the  leaf  toward  the  apex,  the  lobes  broad-dentate  or  sinu- 
ate-dentate, but  always  tipped  with  a  bristle.  The  terminal  lobe  is 
oblong,  elongated,  acute,  with  large  or  small  teeth  ;  or,  it  is  broad 
and  coarsely  repandly-dentate.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  convolute, 
bright  crimson,  covered  with  white  hairs  above,  and  coated  below 
with  silvery-white  tomentum.  The  lobes  are  tipped  with  long  white 
hairs.  When  full  grown  the  leaves  are  thick,  leathery,  dark  shining 
green  above  and  yellow  green,  brownish,  or  tawny,  more  or  less 
pubescent  below  ;  midribs  stout,  primary  veins  conspicuous.  In 
autumn  they  turn  brown,  or  dull  red,  or  yellow  and  brown  and  fall 
late,  sometimes  remaining  until  spring.  Petioles  long,  yellow,  gen- 
erally flattened  on  upper  side.     Stipules  linear,  hairy,  caducous. 

Flowers. — May,  when  leaves  are  half  grown.  Staminate  flowers 
borne  in  the  axils  of  brown,  hairy,  fugacious  bracts,  in  hairy  or  to- 
mentose  aments  four  to  six  inches  long.  Calyx  of  staminate  flower, 
hairy,  reddish  ;  lobes  ovate,  shorter  than  the  four  stamens  ;  anthers 
acute,  yellow.  Pistillate  flowers  borne  on  short  tomentose  peduncles, 
reddish  ;  involucral  scales  ovate,  shorter  than  the  acute,  hairy  calyx- 
lobes  ;  stigmas  reflexed,  bright  red. 

Acorns. — Ripen  in  autumn  of  second  year,  sessile,  or  stalked,  soli- 
tary or  in  pairs  ;  nut  ovate-oblong,  obovate,  oval,  or  hemispherical, 
broad  and  rounded  at  base,  rounded  at  apex,  light  reddish  brown 
often  striate,  frequently  pubescent,  from  one-half  to  one  inch  long  ; 
cup  cup-shaped  or  turbinate,  embraces  one-third  to  one-half  the 
nut,  covered  with  chestnut  brown  scales  which  at  base  are  closely 
appressed  but  above  are  looser,  and  at  the  rim  form  a  fringe-like 
border.     Kernel  yellow  and  bitter. 

The  name  Black  Oak  refers  evidently  to  the  color  of  the 
bark  of  the  trunk  which  is  almost  or  quite  black.  The  inner 
bark  is  deep  yellow  and  this  characteristic  is  persistent  and 
unchanging.  Before  the  era  of  modern  dyes  this  inner  bark 
was  highly  prized  because  of  a  yellow  dye  which  was  obtained 
from  it  called  quercitron. 

The  tree  is  protean  in  the  form  of  its  leaves.     Besides  its 

358 


BLACK    OAK 


Black  Oak,  Qjti-rriis  vclntiiia. 
Leaves  4'  to  6'  long. 


OAK    FAMILY 

own  well  distinguished  types  it  varies  toward  the  red  oaks 
on  the  one  side  and  the  scarlet  oaks  on  the  other.  But  what- 
ever the  individual  leaf  the  foliage  mass  is  always  beautiful. 
In  early  spring  the  unfolding  leaves  are  red,  the  freshest  of 
them  nearly  scarlet.  The  long,  white,  silky  hairs  are  dense 
on  the  upper  velvety  surface  and  the  under  surface  is  white 
with  tomentum.  As  the  red  fades  out  and  before  the  green 
darkens  there  is  a  time  when  the  tree  mass  takes  on  a  silvery 
greenish  white  through  which  the  sunlight  plays  with  magical 
effect.  The  deeply  divided  leaves  are  borne  on  rather  long 
petioles  which  are  bent  down  at  first  but  soon  spread  out 
from  the  branches.  The  new  shoots  are  yellowish  green, 
sometimes  stained  dark  red  but  covered  with  rusty  down. 
The  divided  leaves  give  the  foliage  a  feathery  appearance  and 
the  long  yellow  aments  respond  to  the  slightest  impulse,  so 
that  a  light  wind  transforms  the  tree  into  a  misty,  shimmer- 
ing mass.  The  exquisite  effects  of  spring-time  coloring  must 
be  caught  at  the  supreme  moment,  they  do  not  remain  un- 
changed for  a  day,  scarcely  for  an  hour. 

The  mature  leaf  is  dark  green,  in  texture  always  thick,  firm 
and  almost  leathery.  The  surface  is  always  shining,  some- 
times showing  a  "  wet  gloss."  The  petioles  are  usually  long 
and  somewhat  slender  so  that  these  shining  leaves  move 
freely,  apart  from  the  motion  of  the  branch,  and  toss  the  sun- 
light from  a  thousand  glittering  points  as  they  wave  in  the 
summer  breeze.  In  autumn  their  tint  is  usually  brownish 
yellow,  rarely  running  into  dark  red,  but  even  then  the  brown 
leaves  shine  as  in  midsummer  and  dance  in  the  November 
sunlight  as  if  it  were  May. 

These  leaves  often  remain  upon  the  tree  all  winter  long, 
successfully  resisting  the  rough  buffeting  of  storm  and  wind 
and  falling  only  when  pushed  off  by  the  growing  buds  of 
spring.  I  once  knew  a  pair  of  robins  who  selected  an  oak 
bough  thickly  covered  with  these  winter  leaves  for  their 
nesting  place.  The  nest  was  built,  the  eggs  were  laid,  and 
all  went  well  in  the  slieltered  nook.  But,  by  the  time  the 
mother  bird  was  sitting,  the  bursting   b'lds   jMished   off  the 

360 


BLACK    OAK 


Black  Oak,   Qiwiiiis  vclnlma. 
leaves  of  oboyate  type,   s'  to  7'  lon§. 


OAK   FAMILY 


dry  brown  leaves  and  day  after  day  the  poor  bird  sat  in  her 
nest  at  the  end  of  a  leafless  bough,  in  full  sight  of  every  jay 
and  crow  in  the  neighborhood.  In  fact,  they  gathered  about 
and    assured   her   of   their   deep   interest   in   her  enterprise. 

The  robins  stood  out  bravely  for 
awhile  but  one  day  we  found  the 
nest  deserted  and  the  eggs  gone. 

The  acorn  is  much  smaller  than 
that  of  the  Red  Oak  and  varies 
in  shape.  In  color  it  is  reddish 
brown  which  is  often  striped  with 
a  darker  brown.  It  sits  in  a  deep 
cup  which  embraces  nearly  one- 
half  the  nut.  The  kernel  is  yellow 
and  very  bitter. 

The  Black  Oak  hybridizes,  sports, 
and  generally  conducts  itself  so  as  to  make  it  the  despair  of 
the  amateur  who  wishes  to  know  his  trees  "  on  sight."  For 
unless  tried  by  careful  tests  there  are  many  trees  which 
will  deceive  the  most  elect  botanist. 


Black  Oak,  Querciis  velutina. 
Acorns  J4'  to  i'  long. 


SPANISH  OAK 


Querciis  digiiata. 


A  tree  usually  seventy  to  eighty  feet  high,  with  spreading  branches 
which  form  a  round  topped  open  head.  Rare  in  the  north  Atlantic 
states,  abundant  in  the  south.  Tolerant  of  many  soils,  it  flourishes 
in  dry  sandy  barrens  and  on  wet  low  lands. 

Bark. — Dark  brown  with  shallow  fissures,  scaly,  rich  in  tannic 
acid.  Branchlets  stout,  covered  with  rusty  tomentum  at  first,  be- 
coming later  reddish  brown  or  ashy  gray. 

Wood. — Light  reddish  brown,  sapwood  much  lighter  ;  strong, 
coarse-grained,  checks  badly  in  drying.  Has  high  fuel  value,  some- 
times used  in  construction.  Sp.  gr.,  0.6928  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  43.17 
lbs. 

Winter  Buds.—ChQSirwit  brown,  ovoid,  acute,  one-eighth  of  an 
inch  long. 

362 


SPANISH    OAK 


Spanish  Oak,  Qiwiiiis  digitata. 

Leaves  6'  to  7'  long,  4'  to  5'  broad. 


OAK    FAMILY 


The  Variant  Leaves  of  Spanish  Oak. 
Qiiercns   digitata. 


Leaves. — Alternate,  six  to  seven 
inches  long,  four  to  five  inches 
wide.  Of  two  forms ;  first  form 
oblong  or  obovate,  usually  wedge- 
shaped  at  base,  five  to  seven-lobed, 
lobes  often  falcate,  bristle-tipped, 
sinuses  broad ;  second  form  is 
obovate  with  a  broad  apex  which 
is  three-lobed,  otherwise  entire. 
Both  forms  are  found  on  the  same 
branch,  but  sometimes  character- 
ize different  trees.  They  come  out 
of  the  bud  convolute,  when  full 
grown  are  dark  shining  green 
above,  pale  green  covered  with 
rusty  pubescence  below  ;  midribs 
stout,  tomentose  ;  primary  veins 
prominent.  In  autumn  they  turn 
a  bright  clear  yellow  or  dull  yellow 
brown.  Petioles  short,  flattened. 
Stipules  oblong,  caducous. 

Flowers. — May,  appearing  with 
the  leaves.  Staminate  flowers 
borne  in  hairy  aments  three  to 
five  inches  long.  Calyx  four  to 
five-lobed,  pubescent;  lobes 
ovate,  rounded,  shorter  than  the 
stamens.  Stamens  four  to  five 
with  olDlong  yellow  anthers.  Pis- 
tillate flowers  borne  on  stout  pe- 
duncles. Involucral  scales  tomen- 
tose, as  long  as  the  calyx  lobes  ; 
stigmas  long,  dark  red. 

Acorus. — Ripen  in  the  summer 
of  second  year.  Sessile  or  stalked. 
Nut  is   globular    to    oblong,   one- 


half  inch  long,  pale  orange   brown ;    cup   thin   and   saucer-shaped, 
'sometimes  deep,  often  em- 
braces    one-half     the     nut, 
covered  with  reddish  brown, 
pubescent  scales. 


The  Spanish  Oak  is 
really  a  southern  tree 
although  it  appears  in 
New  Jersey,  southern 
Illinois  and  Indiana.  Its 
leaves    vary    greatly    in 


Spanish  Oak,  Quercus  digitata. 
364 


long. 


PIN   OAK 

form  but  as  they  do  not  resemble  those  of  any  other  oak, 
the  tree  may  be  readily  recognized.  It  is  recommended  as 
a  shade  tree  for  cities  in  the  south  Atlantic  and  Gulf  states. 

PIN   OAK.     SWAMP   SPANISH   OAK 

Qnercus  paliistris. 

Usually  fifty  to  seventy  feet  high,  maximum  height  one  hundred 
and  twenty,  with  pyramidal  head  and  somewhat  pendulous  branches. 
Loves  a  moist  rich  soil  and  is  found  on  the  borders  of  swamps  and 
in  river  bottoms  ;  attains  its  greatest  size  in  the  valley  of  the  Ohio. 
Ranges  from  Massachusetts  to  Kentucky  and  westward  to  Arkan- 
sas and  Indian  Territory.  Roots  deep  and  also  spreading.  Bark 
filled  with  tannic  acid. 

Bark. — Pale,  steel  brown,  generally  smooth,  sometimes  scaly  ; 
young  stems  and  branches  smooth,  pale  brown,  shining.  Branch- 
lets  slender,  tough,  dark  red  at  first,  tomentose,  later  becoming 
reddish  brown  and  finally  gray  brown. 

Wood. — Pale  brown  with  dark  colored  sapwood  ;  heavy,  hard, 
strong,  coarse-grained.  Sometimes  used  in  construction.  Sp.gr., 
0.6938  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  43.24  lbs. 

[F/«/^r  ^//^/i-.— Chestnut  brown,  ovate,  acute,  one-eighth  of  an 
inch  long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  four  to  six  inches  long,  two  to  four  inches 
wide,  obovate  or  broadly  oval  in  outline,  base  wedge-shaped,  five 
to  seven-lobed,  sinuses  wide  and  deep,  rounded  at  bottom  ;  termi- 
nal lobe  three-toothed  toward  apex,  or  entire  lateral  lobes  spread- 
ing or  oblique  or  falcate,  tapering  and  acute  at  apex  or  obovate 
and  broad  at  apex.  The  middle  pairs  are  longer  than  the  others, 
dentate-lobed  ;  lobes  and  teeth  ending  in  long  slender  bristles. 
They  come  out  of  the  bud,  convolute,  pale  reddish  green,  shining 
and  hairy  above,  covered  with  whitish  scurfy  down  below  ;  when  full 
grown  aVe  dark,  shining  green  above,  pale  green  below,  bearing 
tufts  of  pale  hairs  in  the  axils  of  the  primary  veins  ;  midribs  stout, 
rounded  above,  primary  veins  conspicuous.  They  turn  a  deep 
scarlet  in  autumn  and  fall  late.  Petioles  yellowish,  one-half  to  two 
inches  long.  Stipules  red,  one-half  of  an  inch  long,  become  brown 
before  falhng. 

Flowers. — May,  when  leaves  are  half  grown.  Staminate  flowers 
are  borne  in  hairy  catkins  from  two  to  three  inches  long  ;  pistillate 
flowers  on  short  tomentose  peduncles.  Calyx  of  staminate  flower  is 
hairy,  divided  into  four  or  five  oblong  rounded  segments,  cut  at  the 
margins,  shorter  than  the  four  or  five  stamens  ;  anthers  oblong,  yel- 
low.    The    involucral    scales     of  the    pistillate    flower    are    ovate, 

365 


OAK   FAMILY 

tomentose,  shorter    than    the   calyx-lobes  ;    stigmas  bright  red,  re- 
curved. 

Acorns. — Ripen  in  the  autumn  of  the  second  season  ;  sessile  or 
short-stalked,  solitary  or  clustered  ;  nut  nearly  hemispherical,  about 
one-half  an  inch  long,  less  in  breadth,  light  brown,  usually  striate  ; 
cup  thin,  shallow,  saucer-shaped,  dark  red  brown  and  hairy  within 
and  covered  by  closely  appressed  ovate,  light  reddish  brown  scales, 
darkest  along  the  margin.     Kernel  bitter. 

The  Pin  Oak  when  young  is  a  most  graceful  tree.  The 
stem  rises  an  unbroken  shaft ;  the  branches  at  the  top  are 
short,  the  middle  branches  are  long  and 
drooping  and  rather  overbear  the  lower  ones 
which  sometimes  sweep  the  ground,  thus  form- 
ing the  beautiful  pyramidal  head  character- 
istic of  the  species.  The  leaves  are  small, 
deeply  lobed,  borne  on  long  petioles  which 
allow    them    to    toss    in    the    wind.      These      p*"  ^^^'  Q""-'"' 

palusfns.  Acorns 

leaves  are  the  especial  prey  of  a  gall-fly  and        i^Mong. 
are  frequently  covered  with  small  brown  galls. 

The  acorns  are  small,  light  brown,  striped.  The  name 
Pin  Oak  seems  to  refer  to  the  great  number  of  tiny  branches 
which  are  intermingled  with  the  large  ones.  Of  this  tree  Mi- 
chaux  says,  "  Its  secondary  branches  are  much  more  slender 
and  numerous  than  is  common  on  so  large  a  tree  and  are  so 
intermingled  as  to  give  it  at  a  distance  the  appearance  of 
being  full  of  pins.  This  singular  disposition  renders  it  dis- 
tinguishable at  first  sight  in  winter  and  is  perhaps  the  cause 
of  its  being  called  Pin  Oak." 

BEAR  OAK.     SCRUB  OAK 

Qnerciis  Uicifblia.     Quercus  pumila. 

A  shrub,  with  numerous  intertwined  and  contorted  branches,  oc- 
casionally becoming  a  small  round-topped  tree.  Found  in  New 
England  and  along  the  Alleghanies,  on  rocky  hillsides  and  on  sandy 
plains. 

Bark.—D-axk  brown,  smooth,  scaly.  Branchlets  slender,  at  first 
dark  green,  tinged  with  red,  tomentose,  later  red  brown  and  finally 
dark  brown. 

366 


PIN    OAK 


Pin  Oak,  Qitercus  palustris. 
Leaves  4'  to  6'  long,  2'  to  4'  broad. 


OAK    FAMILY 

Wood. — Light  brown  ;  hard,  strong. 

Winter  Buds. — Dark  chestnut  brown,  ovate,  obtuse,  one-eighth 
of  an  inch  long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  two  to  five  inches  long,  one  and  one-half  to 
two  and  one-half  inches  wide,  wedge-shaped  at  base,  usually  five- 
lobed,  sometimes  three,  sometimes  seven-lobed  ;  every  lobe  bristle- 
tipped;  sinuses  wide  and  shallow;  form  of  lobes  variable.  They 
come  out  of  the  bud  convolute,  dull  red  and  coated  with  tomentum, 
when  half  grown  are  pale  green  ;  when  full  grown  thick,  dark  green 
and  shining  above,  covered  with  pale  or  silvery  pubescence  below  ; 
midribs  stout,  yellow,  primary  veins  conspicuous.  In  autumn 
they  turn  dull  red  or  yellow.  Petioles  slender,  terete,  downy,  one 
to  one  and  one-half  of  an  inch  long.     Stipules  linear,  caducous. 

Flowers. — May,  when  leaves  are  half  grown.  Staminate  flowers 
are  borne  in  reddish,  hairy  aments  four  to  five  inches  long  which  often 
remain  until  midsummer.  Calyx  is  red  or  reddish  green,  hairy, 
three  to  five  rounded  lobes,  shorter  than  the  stamens.  Stamens 
three  to  five  ;  filaments  short  ;  anthers  bright  red,  becoming  yellow. 
Bracts  linear,  red,  hairy.  Pistillate  flowers  borne  on  stout  tomen- 
tose  peduncles.  Involucral  scales  red,  as  long  as  the  calyx  lobes, 
tomentose  ;  stigmas  dark  red. 

Acorns. — Abundant,  ripen  in  autumn  of  second  year,  sessile  or 
stalked,  in  pairs  or  solitary.  Nut  somewhat  variable  in  form,  ovoid, 
broad,  acute  or  rounded  at  apex,  one-half  inch  long,  light  brown, 
shining,  sometimes  striate  ;  cup  cup-shaped,  embracing  half  the  nut, 
thick,  light  reddish  brown,  the  free  tips  of  upper  scales  forming  a 
fringe-like  border.      Kernel  deep  yellow. 


This  little,    straggling,  shrubby  oak  loves  rocky  hillsides 
and    dry    sandy    barrens.     Wherever    it  grows    it    indicates 

the  sterility  of  the  soil.  The 
name  Scrub  Oak  follows  it  every- 
where, but  the  early  settlers  of 
New  England  called  it  Bear  Oak 
as  well,  because  the  bears  loved 
its  bitter  little  acorns.  It  pro- 
duces these  in  great  numbers  ; 
a  fruiting  branch  is  often  very 
picturesque  because  of  them.  It 
rarely  rises  more  than  six  or 
eight  feet  and  its  stem  is  usually  one  or  two  inches  in  diam- 
eter.    Both  leaves  and  acorns  are  variable  in  form. 

This  is  one  of  the  gregarious  trees,  it  is  never  found  as  a 


Bear  Oak,  Qiicicus  ilicifolia. 
Acorns  H'  long. 


BEAR    OAK 


.^ 


Bear  Oak,  Qiwmis  ilicifolia. 

Leaves  2'  lo  5'  long,    i^'  to  2>^'  broad. 


OAK   FAMILY 

single  specimen  or  mingled  with  other  trees  but  always  in 
tracts  which  it  covers  almost  exclusively.  Evidently  it  can 
flourish  where  other  species  cannot. 

BLACK   JACK.     BARREN    OAK 

Qut'nus  niarildndica.      Qucrciis  nigra. 

A  small  shrubby  tree,  with  small  trunk,  spreading  and  contorted 
branches.  Grows  on  sandy  barrens,  and  ranges  from  southern  New 
York  westward  to  Kansas  and  Nebraska  and  southward  to  the  Flor- 
ida coast.  Rare  in  the  north,  but  abundant  in  the  south  where  it 
is  often  found  on  heavy  clays.     Hybridizes  freely. 

Bark. — Dark  brown  almost  black,  divided  into  rectangular  plates 
which  are  covered  with  small  scales.  Branchlets  stout,  at  first  light 
red  and  scurfy,  later  reddish  brown,  finally  dark  brown. 

Wood. — Dark  brown,  sapwood  lighter  ;  heavy,  hard,  strong,  used 
for  fuel  and  in  manufacture  of  charcoal.  Sp.  gr.,  0.7324  ;  weight  of 
cu.  ft.,  45.64  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Light  reddish  brown,  angled,  acute,  hairy,  one- 
fourth  of  an  inch  long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  five  to  seven  inches  long,  broadly  obovate, 
rounded  or  cordate  at  the  narrow  base,  usually  three-lobed  at  the 
broad  apex.  Form  of  lobes  extremely  variable,  sometimes 
rounded  sometimes  acute,  each  lobe  bristle-tipped.  They  come 
out  of  the  bud  pale  pink,  coated  with  tomentum,  when  half  grown 
they  are  still  coated  with  the  pale  hairs.  When  full  grown  they 
are  thick  and  leathery,  dark  yellow  green,  shining  above,  and 
yellow,  orange  or  brown  and  scurfy  below  ;  midrib  broad,  dark  yel- 
low, raised  and  rounded  above,  primary  veins  stout.  In  autumn 
they  turn  brown  or  yellow.  Petioles  stout,  yellow,  grooved  above, 
one-half  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long.  Stipules  three-fourths  of 
an  inch  long,  caducous. 

Flowers. — May,  when  leaves  are  half  grown.  Staminate  flowers 
borne  in  hairy  catkins  two  to  four  inches  long.  Calyx  of  staminate 
flowers  thin,  scarious,  tinged  with  red,  covered  with  pale  hairs  and 
divided  into  four  to  five  rounded  lobes.  Stamens  usually  four  ; 
anthers  dark  red.  Pistillate  flowers  borne  on  short  peduncles 
covered  with  thick  rusty  tomentum.  Involucral  scales  are  coated 
with  tomentum  and  about  as  long  as  the  calyx  lobes  ;  stigmas  re- 
flexed,  short,  broad,  dark  red. 

Acorns. — Ripen  in  autumn  of  second  year,  solitary  or  in  pairs, 
short  stalked  ;  nut  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in  length,  oblong,  full  and 
rounded  at  both  ends,  a  trifle  broader  below  than  above  the  mid- 
dle, light  yellow  brown,  often  striate.     Shell  thin,  lined   with    coat 

370 


BLACK  JACK 


Black  Jack,  Qiiercns  niarilajtdica. 
Leaves  }'  to  8'  long,  2'  to  5'  broad. 


OAK   FAMILY 


of  dense  tawny  tomentum.  Cup  turbinate,  deep,  covers  one-third 
to  two-thirds  of  nut,  is  thick,  pale  brown  and  downy  within,  without 
it  is  covered  by  large,  reddish  brown,  loosely  imbricated  scales, 
coated  with  tomentum.  On  top  of  cup  are  rows  of  smaller  scales 
which  form  a  thick  rim  around  the  inner  surface. 

Black  Jack  is  such  a  peculiar  name  for  a  tree  that  on  hear- 
ing it  for  the  first  time,  one  immediately  asks  for  an  explana- 
tion. The  authorities  are  silent  on  the 
subject  so  one  can  develop  his  own 
theory  without  fear  or  favor.  This  oak 
varies  from  shrub  to  small  tree.  Its 
very  presence  marks  the  sterility  of  the 
soil.  Its  wood  is  worthless  compared 
with  that  of  other  oaks.  It  is  the  pariah 
of  its  kind.  Since  very  early  times  Jack 
has,  in  certain  ways,  been  used  as  a 
word  of  opprobrium.  A  worthless  fel- 
low was  a  Jack.  What  more  likely, 
than  that  the  first  settlers  of  this  coun- 
try finding  this  worthless  oak  upon  worthless  land  should 
name  it  in  opprobrium  the  Jack  Oak.  As  the  bark  was  dark, 
almost  black,  it  became  Black  Jack  Oak  and  oak  soon  drop- 
ping out,  it  became  as  we  know  it  to-day — Black  Jack. 

The  leaves  of  this  oak  are  extremely  variable,  always  obo- 
vate  or  pear-shaped  they  vary  from  a  form  having  no  lobes 
at  all  to  one  of  three  lobes  and  one  of  five  lobes. 


Black    Jack,    Quercus    man' 
landica.     Acorn  y^'  long. 


SHINGLE    OAK.     LAUREL   OAK 

Quercus  iiubricaria. 

A  tree  usually  fifty  to  sixty  feet  high,  maximum  height  one  hun- 
dred, with  broad  pyramidal  head  when  young,  becoming  in  old  age 
broad-topped  and  open.  A  tree  of  the  mid-continent  ;  rare  in  the 
east,  abundant  in  the  lower  Ohio  valley.  Reaches  its  largest  size  in 
southern  Illinois  and  Indiana. 

Bark. — Light  brown,  scaly  ;  on  young  stems  light  brown,  smooth. 
Branchlets  slender,  dark  green  and  shining  at  first,  later  become 
light  brown,  finally  dark  brown. 

372 


SHINGLE   OAK 


Shiiii^le  0:ik,  O/wrais  nnlvnwKi. 

Leaves  4'  to  6'  long,    iMo  2'  broad. 


OAK   FAMILY 

Wood. — Pale  reddish  brown,  sapwood  lighter  ;  heavy,  hard, 
coarse-grained,  checks  badly  in  drying ;  used  for  shingles  and 
sometimes  in  construction.  Sp.  gr.,  0.7529;  weight  of  cu.  ft., 
46.92  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Light  brown,  ovate,  acute,  one-eighth  inch  long. 
Leaves. — Alternate,  oblong  or  obovate,  four  to  six  inches  long, 
one  to  two  inches  wide,  wedge-shaped  or  rounded  at  base,  acute  or 
rounded  at  apex,  sometimes  entire  or  wdth  undulated  margins,  some- 
times more  or  less  three-lobed.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  involute, 
bright  red,  covered  with  rusty  down  above  and  white  tomentum  be- 
low. When  full  grown  are  dark  green,  smooth 
and  shining  above,  pale  green  or  pale  brown, 
downy  below  ;  midribs  stout  yellow,  grooved 
above,  primary  veins  slender.  In  autumn  they 
become  dark  red  above,  pale  beneath,  midribs 
darken,  then  the  leaf.  Petioles  stout,  hairy, 
flattened,  grooved.  Stipules  about  one-half 
inch  long,  caducous. 

Flowers. — May,  when  leaves  are  half  grown. 
Staminate  flowers  borne  on  tomentose  aments 
two  to  three  inches  long.  Bracts  linear-lanceo- 
late. Calyx  pale  yellow,  downy,  four-lobed ; 
stamens  four  to  five  ;  anthers  yellow.  Pistillate 
cu •    ,     /->  I      .T  flowers  borne  on  slender  tomentose  peduncles. 

Shingle     Oak,     Qucrcits      ^  ,  ,  ,  ,  ,  ^      , 

imbricarta.     Acorns     Involucral  scalcs  are  downy,  about  as  long  as 
i^/  to  ^/,  the  calyx  lobes  ;  stigmas  short,  reflexed,  green- 

ish-yellow. 
Acorns. — Ripen  in  autumn  of  second  year  ;  stalked,  solitary  or  in 
pairs  ;  nut  almost  spherical,  one-half  to  two-thirds  inch  long  ;  cup 
embraces  one-half  to  one-third  nut,  is  cup-shaped  covered  with  light 
red  brown,  downy  scales,  rounded  or  acute  at  apex.  Kernel  very 
bitter. 

The  Shingle  Oak  has  a  smooth  bark  and  for  three-fourths  of  its  height  is  laden 
with  branches.  It  has  an  uncouth  form  when  bare  in  winter,  but  is  beautiful  in 
summer  when  clad  in  its  thick  tufted  foliage.  The  leaves  are  long,  lanceolate, 
entire,  and  of  a  shining  green.  — Michaux. 

The  leaves  of  Laurel  Oak  or  Shingle  Oak  are  very  narrow,  almost  linear  at 
first  with  their  edges  so  straightly  revolute  that  they  almost  touch  each  other. 
They  are  slightly  hairy,  the  ground  color  yellowish  green  with  a  purple  tinge. 
The  fresh  twigs  are  flushed  with  red  on  the  upper  side  where  most  exposed  to 
the  light.  The  young  leaves  stand  out  stiffly  from  the  ends  of  the  branchlets, 
studding  them  with  sharply  outlined  stellate  clusters.  Being  so  narrow  the 
foliage  is  very  open  and  one  can  see  through  the  tree  top  in  almost  any  direc- 
tion so  that  the  tree  has  an  appearance  quite  distinct  from  other  oaks. 

—  Garden  and  Forest. 


374 


WILLOW   OAK 


WILLOW  OAK 

Qudrciis  ph(^llos. 

A  tree  seventy  to  eighty  feet  high,  ranging  from  southern  New 
York  along  the  inland  plain  to  Florida,  is  also  found  in  the  south- 
western states.     Hybridizes  easily. 

Bark. — Pale  reddish  brown,  stem  of  young  tree  smooth,  that  of 
old  trees  covered  with  shallow  fissures  and  scaly.  Branchlets 
slender,  smooth,  reddish  brown,  later  dark  brown  or  grayish  brown. 

Wood. — Pale  reddish  brown,  sapwood  paler;  heavy,  strong, 
coarse-grained.  Occasionally  used  in  construction.  Sp.  gr. ,  0.7472  ; 
weight  of  cu.  ft.,  46.56  lbs. 

Whiter  Buds. — Brown,  ovate,  acute,  one-eighth  of  an  inch  long. 
Leaves. — Alternate,  linear,  oblong,  narrowed  at  both  ends,  some- 
times falcate,  two  to  five  inches  long,  one-half  to  one  inch  wide, 
wedge-shaped  at  base,  entire  or  slightly  undulate  at  margin,  sharply 
acute  at  apex.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  involute,  pale  yellow 
green,  shining  above,  coated  with  pale  down  beneath  ;  when  full 
grown  are  light  green,  smooth  and  shining  above,  palergreen  below  ; 
midribs  yellow,  rounded  above,  primary  veins  obscure.  In  autumn 
they  turn  pale  yellow  and  fall  late.  Petioles  stout,  and  grooved. 
Stipules  caducous. 

Flowers. — May,  when  leaves  are  small.  Staminate  flowers  borne 
in  hairy  slender  aments  two  to  three  inches  long. 
Calyx  yellow,  hairy,  divided  into  four  to  five  acute 
lobes.  Stamens  four  to  five  ;  anthers  oblong,  yel- 
low. Pistillate  flowers  are  borne  on  short,  smooth 
peduncles.  Involucral  scales  are  brown,  hairy,  as 
long  as  the  calyx  lobes  ;  stigmas  bright  red,  re- 
flexed. 

Willow  Oak,  <2«m-//s  Acorns. — Not  abundant.     Ripen  in  autumn  of 

phciios.    Acorns      second   year,  short  stalked,  solitary   or  in   pairs. 

y^.'  in  diameter.        Nut  lialf-spherc,  half  an   inch   in   diameter,   pale 

yellow    brown,    downy,    sometimes    striate ;     cup 

saucer-shaped,   covers   the   base  of  nut  only  ;  scales  dark  reddish 

brown,  thin,  ovate,  hairy.     Kernel  orange  yellow  and  very  bitter. 

The  Willow  Oak  is  a  most  interesting  tree.  In  the  first 
place  its  leaf  is  an  anomaly  among  northern  oaks  for  it  has 
the  shape,  poise,  and  general  appearance  of  that  of  the  wil- 
low. Then,  too,  the  shoots  are  straight  and  slender,  so  in  its 
spray  it  resembles  the  willow.  Like  its  namesake  it  loves  to 
keep  its  feet  in  water,  seeks  the  low  wet  borders  of  swamps 

375 


OAK    FAMILY 


Willow  Oak,  Qiierats  phellos. 

Leaves  2'  to  5'  long,   yz'  to   1'  broad- 


WILLOW   OAK 

• 
and  but  rarely  climbs  even  a  hillside  ;  and  yet  it  avoids  the 

sea-coast. 

The  Willow  Oak  hybridizes  most  freely  ;  all  oaks  do  more 
or  less,  but  this  species  seems  especially  inclined  to  stray 
out  of  bounds. 

The  acorns  are  tiny,  not  abundant,  the  kernel  yellow  and 
exceedingly  bitter.  The  tree  is  recommended  as  a  shade 
tree  for  southern  cities. 


?77 


FAGACE^— BEECH   FAMILY 


BEECH 


Fagus  ati'opunicea.      Fagiis  ferniginea. 

Fagiis  from  phago,  to  eat,  because  the  nuts  were  used  as  food  in 
the  early  ages. 

Widely  distributed,  growing  on  uplands  and  mountain  slopes,  also 
on  alluvial  bottom  lands  and  borders  of  streams.  Usually  seventy 
to  eighty  feet  high.  In  the  crowded  forest,  tall, 
slender,  with  narrow  head ;  in  open  situations, 
short  stemmed,  forming  a  round-topped  head  of 
slender,  slightly  drooping  branches  beset  with 
short  lateral  branchlets.  But  one  species  is 
native  to  North  America.  Grows  well  on  lime- 
stone. 

Bark. — Compact,  smooth,  ashy  gray.  Branch- 
lets  at  first  pale  green,  then  olive  green,  finally 
changing  through  brown  to  ashy  gray. 

Wood, — Light  red,  varying  in  color  in  differ- 
ent localities  ;  hard,  strong,  tough,  very  close 
straight-grained  and  susceptible  of  a  fine  polish. 
Used  in  manufacture  of  chairs,  agricultural 
implements  and  handles  of  tools.  Sp.  gr., 
0.6883  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  42.89  lbs. 

Leaf-Buds. — Cylindrical,  long-pointed,  light 
chestnut  brown,  three-fourths  to  one  inch  long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  oblong-ovate,  rounded  or 
cordate  at  base,  coarsely  serrate  with  spreading 
or  incurved  teeth,  acute  or  acuminate.  Feather- 
veined.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  plicate,  pale 
green  and  silky,  when  full  grown  become  dark  green  above,  pale 
green  beneath.     In  autumn  they  turn  a  clear  golden  yellow,  and 

378 


Unfolding  Leaves  of  the 
Beech. 


BEECH 


Fruiting  Spray  of  the  Beech,  Fagiis  atropiiuicea. 

Leaves  3'  to  4'  long. 


BEECH   FAMILV 


A  Staminate  and  a  Pistillate 
Flower  of  the  Beech  ;  en- 
larged. 


becoming  brown  on  young  trees  often  cling  to  the  branches  all  win- 
ter. When  the  leaves  first  appear  in  the  spring  they  are  heavily 
charged  with  acid  juice.  Petioles  short, 
slightly  grooved,  hairy.  Stipules  caducous. 
Flowe7's. — April,  when  leaves  are  one- 
third  grown.  Staminate  borne  in  globose 
heads  an  inch  in  diameter  on  slender  hairy 
peduncles,  the  staminate  flowers  are  yel- 
lowish green  and  consist  of  a  bell-shaped 
four  to  seven-lobed  calyx,  corolla  wanting, 
stamens  eight  to  ten,  inserted  on  the  calyx  ; 
filaments  white,  slender,  exserted  ;  anthers 
green,  oblong,  introrse,  two-celled  ;  cells 
opening   longitudinally;    ovary   wanting. 

Pistillate  flowers  are  borne  in  two-flowered  clusters  from  the  axils 

of  the  upper  leaves  surrounded  by  numerous  awl-shaped  bractlets. 

They  consist  of  an  urn-shaped  calyx,  tube  three-angled,  adnate  to 

ovary  ;  limb  four  to  five-lobed,  corolla  wanting,  stamens  wanting  ; 

ovary  inferior,  three-celled,  styles 

three,    slender,    exserted  ;     ovules 

two  in  each  cell.    The  inner  bracts 

in  time  become  the  fruiting  invol- 
ucre.     When    full   grown    this    is 

dark  green  covered  with  prickles  ; 

in  autumn  it  becomes  light  brown, 

the    prickles    strongly    recurved  ; 

it   is   opened    by   the    first    severe 

frosts  and  remains  on  the  branch 

after  the  nuts  have  fallen. 

Fruit. — Nut,     triangular,     pale 

chestnut  brown,   three-fourths   of 

an  inch  long.     Seed  is  sweet.     It 

is  believed  that  a  beech  must  be 

fully    forty    years    old    before    it 

fruits. 


We  sometimes  think  that 
the  birds  are  the  first  heralds 
of  the  spring,  but  it  is  not  so. 
Vegetation  sleeps  like  a  dog, 
with  one  eye  open,  and  no 
sooner  has  the  sun  turned 
from  his  southern  course  than  staminate 
nature  in  all  her  myriad  buds 
watches  for  his  coming.  There  are  signs  of  spring  to  the 
wise  before  a  blue  wing  has  beat  toward  the  north  or  a  robin 

380 


ind    Pistillate  Flower   Clusters 
of  the  Beech. 


BEECH 


A  Beech  Tree. 


BEECH    FAMILY 

redbreast  alighted  on  our  lawn.  Willows  glow  in  green  and 
yellow  long  before  any  other  indication  of  quickening  life  ap- 
pears, the  last  year's  wood  of  the  Lombardy  Poplars  becomes 
tawny  and  shining,  and  the  Beech  tree  fairly  challenges  the 
snow  on  its  limbs  by  the  frosty  white  of  its  smaller  branches 
and  twigs. 

It  is  surprising  since  our  trees  are  leafless  one-half  of  the 
year,  that  so  little  attention  is  paid  to  planting  for  winter 
beauty.  A  great  success  is  awaiting  the  artist  who  can 
achieve  this  planting,  and  in  the  mean  time  a  small  but  ever 
increasing  number  of  persons  are  appreciating  the  grace  and 
beauty  of  the  leafless  trees.  The  winter  beauty  of  the  Beech 
is  only  equalled  not  surpassed  by  that  of  the  elm.  Then  the 
sinewy  strength  of  its  trunk  is  most  evident,  the  wdiite  of  its 
bark  is  the  clearest,  the  structure  of  its  noble  head  is  most 
apparent,  and  the  fine  spray  of  its  delicate  branches  stands 
clear  cut  in  exquisite  tracery  against  the  sky. 

It  is  no  less  charming  in  early  spring,  when  the  half-opened 
leaves  clinging  to  the  branches  make  a  shimmering  mist  of 
soft  green  and  pearly  white.  In  midsummer,  because  of  the 
lateral  arrangement  of  the  branches,  the  foliage  lies  in  great 
shelving  masses  and  as  the  leaves  are  short  petioled  they 
have  little  independent  motion  but  sway  with  the  branch. 
In  autumn,  the  head  becomes  a  glowing  sphere  of  golden  yel- 
low touched  with  russet,  and  as  the  last  leaf  flutters  to  the 
ground  it  marks  the  close  of  a  cycle  of  unequalled  beauty. 

Lumbermen  have  always  insisted  upon  two  species  of 
Beech,  the  Red  and  the  White,  distinguished  by  the  color  of 
their  w^ood.  There  are  no  botanical  characters  by  w^hich  such 
trees  can  be  distinguished,  and  the  reason  for  the  difference 
is  unknown. 

The  Beech  is  gregarious  and  often  forms  pure  forests  of 
considerable  extent.  In  the  first  place,  it  is  a  tree  that  suck- 
ers ;  in  the  second,  it  makes  a  shade  so  dense  that  it  is  diffi- 
cult for  the  young  of  other  trees  to  flourish  near.  Further- 
more, it  readily  adapts  itself  to  environment,  flourishes  on  the 
bottom  lands  and  climbs  the  mountain  slopes. 

382 


BEECH 

The  genus  has  several  evergreen  species.  These  are  all 
found  in  the  southern  hemisphere, — in  Terra-del-Fuego,  New 
Zealand,  and  Australia.  Traces  of  Fagns  have  been  dis- 
covered in  the  cretaceous  rocks  of  the  Dakota  group,  in  the 
miocene  of  Alaska  and  in  the  gold-bearing  gravels  of  Cali- 
fornia ;  existing  once  over  a  broad  territory  from  which  it  has 
now  entirely  disappeared. 

There  was  so  firm  a  belief  among  the  Indians  that  a 
beech  tree  was  proof  against  lightning,  that  on  the  approach 
of  a  thunder-storm  they  took  refuge  under  its  branches  with 
full  assurance  of  safety.  This  belief  seems  to  have  been 
adopted  by  the  early  settlers  of  this  country  and  it  is  very 
common  to  hear  a  farmer  say,  "  A  beech  is  never  struck  by 
lightning."  This  popular  belief  has  recently  had  scientific 
verification.  As  a  result  of  careful  experiments  it  has  been 
found  that  the  beech  really  does  resist  the  electric  current 
much  more  vigorously  than  the  oak,  poplar  or  willow.  The 
general  conclusion  from  a  series  of  experiments  is  that  trees 
"poor  in  fat"  like  the  oak,  willow,  poplar,  maple,  elm  and 
ash  oppose  much  less  resistance  to  the  electric  current  than 
trees  "  rich  in  fat  "  like  the  beech,  chestnut,  linden  and 
birch.  Of  course  varying  conditions  modify  the  practical 
working  of  these  facts,  but  the  Indians'  conclusion  was  well 
founded. 

Of  cultivated  beeches  the  most  popular  is  the  well-known 
Purple  or  Copper  Beech.  Individual  trees  of  this  variety 
have  appeared  at  different  times  in  the  forests  of  Europe.  In 
a  natural  history  published  in  1680,  three  beech  trees  with  red 
leaves  were  recorded  as  growing  in  a  wood  near  Zurich. 
Twenty-five  years  later  a  popular  legend  had  grown  up  that 
these  red-leaved  beeches  marked  a  place  where  five  brothers 
had  murdered  each  other.  Most  of  the  Purple  Beeches  now 
cultivated  are  believed  to  be  derived  from  a  tree  discovered 
in  the  last  century  in  a  forest  at  Thuringia,  which  is  supposed 
to  be  about  two  hundred  years  old,  and  is  still  alive. 

The  beech  tree  figures  in  ancient  literature  because  of  its 
shade  ;  the  ancient  writers  from  Virgil  down  were  continually 

383 


BEECH   FAMILY 

sending  their  lieroes,  seeking  rest  and  recreation,  to  recline 
under  wide-spreading  beeches.     For  example  : — 

Beneath  the  shade  which  beechen  boughs  diffuse, 
You,  Tityrus,  entertain  your  sylvan  muse. 

—Virgil. 

1  ran  to  meet  you  as  a  traveller 

Gets  from  the  sun  under  a  shady  beech. 

—Theocritus. 

tJnder  the  branches  of  the  beech  we  flung 
Our  limbs  at  ease  and  our  bent  bows  unstrung. 

— From  the  Spanish. 

There  at  the  foot  of  yonder  nodding  beech 
That  wreathes  its  old  fantastic  roots  so  high, 
His  listless  length  at  noontide  he  would  stretch 
And  pore  upon  the  brook  that  bubbled  by. 

— Grav. 

The  following  curious  story  is  told  by  Pliny  in  his  Natural 
History.  "  There  was  a  little  hill  called  Corne,  in  the  terri- 
tory of  Tusculuin,  not  far  from  the  city  of  Rome,  that  was 
clad  and  beautified  with  a  grove  and  tufts  of  beech  trees, 
which  were  as  even  and  round  in  the  head  as  if  they  had  been 
curiously  trimmed  with  garden  shears.  This  grove  was,  in 
old  times  consecrated  to  Diana,  by  the  common  consent  of 
all  the  inhabitants  of  Latium  who  paid  their  devotions  to  that 
goddess  there.  One  of  these  trees  was  of  such  surpassing 
beauty,  that  Passenius  Crispus  a  celebrated  orator  who  was 
twice  consul,  and  who  afterwards  married  the  Empress  Agrip- 
pina  was  so  fond  of  it,  that  he  not  only  delighted  to  repose 
beneath  its  shade,  but  frequently  poured  wine  on  the  roots, 
and  used  often  to  embrace  it." 

The  ancients  also  knew  that  beech  wood  absorbed  very 
little  water  and  for  that  reason  made  excellent  bowls. 


No  wars  did  men  molest 
When  only  beechen  bowls  were  in  request. 


In  beechen  goblets  let  their  beverage  shine, 
Cool  from  the  crystal  spring  their  sober  wine. 


—Virgil. 


—Milton, 

384 


BEECH 


rt»^flilH        J 

J 

1 

^^1 

'^'^^mHHiii^^^H 

■1 

^^^'-  ^&f^mi:MKKm^ 

a!?f;;r-^»rf^^B^' '■■■** 

■vv     wpt^-'  HyL'     a 

Hi     X 

n '     !%> 

Trunk  of  the  Beech,  b'agus  atropimicea. 


BEECH   FAMILY 

The  beech  tree  has  evidently  been  the  shining  mark  of 
lovers  from  earliest  days. 


Or  shall  I  rather  the  sad  verse  repeat 
Which  on  the  beech's  bark  I  lately  writ? 


On  the  smooth  beechen  rind  the  pensive  dame 
Carves  in  a  thousand  forms  her  Tancred's  name. 


— Virgil. 


-Tasso. 


It  is  perhaps  scarcely  necessary  to  say  that  the  beech  tree 
of  ancient  literature  is  not  the  American  beech  but  Fagns 
sylvatica,  the  common  beech  of  Europe.  Our  beech  differs 
from  the  European  species  in  its  paler  bark  and  the  lighter 
green  of  its  leaves. 

CHESTNUT 

Castanea  dentata.      Castanea  ve'sca. 

From  Castanea  a  town  in  Thessaly,  or  from  another  town  of  that 
name  in  Pontus.  New  York  Indians  call  the  chestnut,  0-heh- 
yah-tah,  Prickly  Bur. 

Occasionally  one  hundred  feet  high  ;  grows  rapidly  and  lives  to 
great  age.  Very  common  on  glacial  drift  of  northern  states,  rarely 
found  on  limestone  soils.  Has  stout  tap  root  and  thick  rootlets. 
Juices  are  astringent.  Attains  its  greatest  size  in  western  North 
Carolina  and  eastern  Tennessee. 

Bark. — Grayish  brown  divided  by  shallow  irregular  fissures  into 
broad  flat  ridges.  Branchlets  at  first  light  yellow  green,  finally 
olive  green  and  ultimately  dark  brown. 

Wood. — Reddish  brown,  sapwood  lighter ;  light,  soft,  coarse- 
grained, not  strong,  easily  split  and  very  durable  in  contact  with  the 
soil;  largely  used  in  manufacture  of  cheap  furniture,  interior  of 
houses,  railway  ties,  fence  posts  and  rails.  Sp.  gr,,  0.4504  ;  weight 
of  cu.  ft,,  28.07  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Dark  chestnut  brown,  ovate,  acute,  one-fourth  an 
inch  long  ;  all  lateral. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  oblong-lanceolate,  six  to  eight  inches  long, 
acute  or  wedge-shaped  base,  coarsely  serrate,  acute  or  acuminate. 
Feather-veined  ;  midrib  and  veins  prominent  on  the  under  side. 
Convolute  in  the  bud,  late  in  unfolding  ;  when  full  grown  are  a  dark 
shining  green  above,  a  paler  green  beneath.     In  autumn  they  turn  a 

386 


CHESTNUT 


Chestnut,  Castanea  dentata. 

Leaves  6'  to  8'  long. 


BEECH    FAMILY 

bright  clear  yellow.  Petioles  short,  stout,  slightly  angled.  Stipules 
caducous. 

Flowers. — June,  July.  Monoecious,  fragrant.  Staminate  catkins 
six  to  eight  inches  in  length,  with  stout,  green,  hairy  stems  covered 
with  flower  clusters.  The  androgynous  catkins  are  slender,  hairy, 
from  two  and  a  half  to  five  inches  in  length,  near  their  base  are  two 
or  three  clusters  of  pistillate  flowers  ;  above  these  pistillate  flowers 
are  scattered  clusters  of  staminate  flowers  ;  these  are  smaller  than 
those  on  the  staminate  catkins  and  fall  from  the  persistent  rachis  ; 
which  continues  to  rise  above  the  short  raceme  of  fruit.  The  stami- 
nate flowers  appear  in  three  to  seven-flowered  cymes  in  the  axils  of 
minute  bracts  which  are  borne  on  the  rachis  of  the  anient.  Calyx 
bell-shaped,  pale  straw  color,  six-lobed,  lobes  imbricate  in  bud, 
corolla  wanting.  Stamens  ten  to  twenty  inserted  on  the  torus  ;  fila- 
ments exserted,  white  ;  anthers  pale  yellow,  introrse,  two-celled, 
cells  opening  longitudinally.  Ovary  has  aborted.  Pistillate  flowers 
appear  solitary  or  two  or  three  together  within  a  short  stemmed  in- 
volucre of  closely  imbricated  green  scales,  at  the  base  of  a  bract 
borne  on  the  rachis  of  the  pistillate  aments.  Calyx  bell-shaped,  six- 
lobed.  Stamens  rudimentary.  Ovary  inferior,  six-celled,  styles  six, 
white,  hairy,  exserted  ;  ovules  two  in  each  cell.  The  involucres  or 
burs  grow  rapidly,  are  full  size  by  the  middle  of  August,  begin  to 
open  with  the  first  frost  and  shedding  their  nuts  fall  late  in  autumn. 

Fruit. — Nuts  much  compressed,  two  or  three  in  a  bur,  coated  at 
the  apex  with  thick  pale  tomentum.  The  shell  is  lined  with  thick 
rufous  tomentum  and  the  seed  is  sweet. 

Defenseless  in  the  common  road  she  stands 
Exposed  to  restless  war  of  vulgar  hands, 
By  neighboring  clowns  and  passing  rabble  torn 
Battered  with  stones  by  boys  and  left  forlorn. 

— Cowley. 

The  amber  buds  of  the  chestnut  are  unfolding  into  long  green  fans,  though  it 
will  be  long  ere  the  trees  decked  with  their  drooping  tassels  hum  like  great 
hives  with  the  music  of  the  bees. 

— Edith  Thomas. 

In  some  places  we  fynd  chestnutts,  whose  wild  fruict  I  maie  well  sale  equalize 
the  best  in  France,  Spaine,  Germany,  Italy  or  those  so  commended  in  the  Black 
Sea  by  Constantinople,  all  of  which  I  have  eaten. 

— HiSTORIE   of   TRAVAILB   INTO   VIRGINIA    BRITANNIA. 

The  Chestnut  stands  unnoticed  in  the  forest  until  mid- 
summer when,  all  at  once,  after  the  other  trees  have  blossomed 
and  some  of  them  fruited,  after  the  elm  has  scattered  her 
samaras,  the  red  maple  dropped  her  keys,  when  cherries  are 
ripe   and  apples   half  grown,    the   Chestnut    flings   out   her 

388 


CHESTNUT 


Chestnut  Burs. 


BEECH    FAMILY 

creamy  tinted  catkins  in  a  wealth  of  bloom  and  proclaims 
that  she,  too,  belongs  to  the  fruit-bearing  race  and  though 
late  she  is  not  belated.  Though  she  blooms  in  midsummer, 
her  nuts  are  ripe  in  early  autumn,  and  the  first  frosts  open 
the  prickly  burs  and  scatter  the  shining  contents  at  the  feet 
of  any  passer-by. 

Wilson  Flagg  speaking  of  the  Chestnut  says  :  "  On  this 
continent  it  is  a  majestic  tree  remarkable  for  the  breadth 
and  depth  of  its  shade.  It  displays  many  of  the  superficial 
characters  of  the  red  oak  so  that  in  winter  we  cannot  read- 
ily distinguish  them.  The  foliage  bears  some  resemblance 
to  that  of  the  beech  but  displays  more  variety.  The  leaves 
are  long,  lengthened  to  a  tapering  point  and  of  a  bright  and 
nearly  pure  green.  Though  arranged  alternately  like  those 
of  the  beech  on  the  recent  branches,  they  are  clustered  in 
stars,  containing  from  five  to  seven  leaves,  on  the  fruitful 
branches  that  grow  out  from  the  perfected  wood.  When  the 
tree  is  viewed  from  a  moderate  distance  the  whole  mass 
seems  to  consist  of  tufts,  each  containing  several  long,  pointed 
leaves,  drooping  divergently  from  a  common  centre." 

The  relation  between  the  American  Chestnut  and  the 
Sweet  Chestnut  of  Europe  has  long  puzzled  botanists.  Lou- 
don considers  ours  but  a  variety  of  the  European  ;  Professor 
Sargent  prefers  to  consider  it  a  distinct  species.  The  dif- 
ference between  them  in  any  case  is  slight  and  ours  has  the 
sweeter  nut. 

.Chestnut  trees  attain  enormous  size  and  great  age.  Lou- 
don says  that  the  Tortworth  Chestnut  tree  in  Gloucester- 
shire, England,  which  is  still  in  a  healthy  condition,  was 
remarkable  for  its  great  size  in  the  reign  of  King  Stephen, 
1 135  A.D.,  and  is  probably  more  than  a  thousand  years  old. 
The  species  has  the  peculiarity  of  sending  forth  vigorous 
shoots  from  a  stump  and  these,  growing  in  a  sort  of  brother- 
hood, finally  unite  into  a  single  tree.  The  famous  Chestnut 
of  a  Hundred  Horsemen  on  Mt.  Etna  in  Sicily  is  believed  to 
have  been  formed  in  this  way  by  a  group  of  five.  A  hundred 
years  ago  it  had  the  circumference  of  two  hundred  feet    at 

3qo 


CHESTNUT 


.>o^ 


.^ 


f^>^.    'Ij 


■^^ 


Trunk  of  Chestnut,  Castanea  doitata. 


BEECH    FAMILY 

the  surface  of  the  ground.  Two  sections  of  the  trunk  have 
disappeared  and  a  road  now  runs  through  what  is  left. 

The  wood  is  valuable  chiefly  because  of  the  tannic  acid  it 
contains,  which  makes  it  very  durable  in  contact  with  the  soil. 

During  the  tertiary  period  Castanea  ranged  to  Greenland 
and  Alaska  and  traces  of  it  are  found  in  the  miocene  rocks 
of  Oregon  and  Colorado. 

The  Chinquapin,  Castanea  puviila^  is  a  southern  tree  often  a 
shrub,  which  bears  an  abundance  of  small  sweet  chestnuts. 
The  leaf  resembles  that  of  C.  dentata  but  is  smaller  and  very 
downy  on  the  under  surface.  This  tree  is  reported  as  hardy 
in  the  Arnold  Arboretum. 


3'^^ 


SALICACEyE— WILLOW    FAMILY 

WILLOW 

The  Willows  are  a  family  of  trees  and  shrubs  which  differ 
greatly  in  size  and  habit  of  growth  but  are  very  much  alike  in 
other  respects.  All  have  abundant  watery  juice,  furrowed 
scaly  bark  which  is  heavily  charged  with  salicylic  acid,  soft, 
pliant,  tough  wood,  slender  branches  and  large  fibrous  often 
stoloniferous  roots.  These  roots  are  remarkable  for  their 
toughness,  size,  and  tenacity  of  life.  Willows  are  often 
planted  on  the  border  of  streams  in  order  that  their  inter- 
lacing roots  may  protect  the  bank  against  the  action  of  the 
water.  They  make  the  first  growth  on  the  changing,  shift- 
ing banks  of  western  rivers,  and  after  the  soil  has  been  made 
sufficiently  stable,  the  poplar  comes.  Frequently  the  roots 
are  much  larger  than  the  stem  which  grows  from  them.  All 
the  buds  are  lateral,  no  absolutely  terminal  bud  is  ever 
formed.  These  are  covered  by  a  single  scale,  inclosing  at  its 
base  two  minute  opposite  buds,  alternate  with  two,  small, 
scale-like,  fugacious,  opposite  leaves. 

The  leaves  are  alternate  except  the  first  pair  which  fall 
when  about  an  inch  long.  They  are  simple,  feather-veined, 
and  typically  linear-lanceolate.  Usually  they  are  serrate, 
rounded  at  base,  acute  or  acuminate.  In  color  they  show  a 
great  variety  of  greens,  ranging  from  yellow  to  blue.  The 
petioles  are  short,  the  stipules  often  very  conspicuous,  look- 
ing like  tiny  round  leaves  and  sometimes  remaining  for  half 

393 


WILLOW   FAMILY 

the  summer.     On  some  species,  however,  they  are  small,  in- 
conspicuous, and  fugacious. 

The  character  of  the  inflorescence  is  the  same  in  every 
species.  It  is  dioecious,  that  is,  the  stamens  and  pistils  are 
separate  and  borne  on  different  trees.  This  makes  the  fam- 
ily difficult  to  classify,  for  it  is  necessary  to  study  two  trees 
in  order  to  determine  one  species,  and  the  two  trees  are  not 
always  at  hand.  Furthermore,  the  species  readily  hybridize, 
and  also  quickly  respond  to  environment,  so  that  only  an  ex- 
pert is  competent  to  decide  a  question  with  regard  to  species 
among  willows. 

The  staminate  flowers  are  without  either  calyx  or  corolla  ; 
they  consist  simply  of  stamens,  in  number  varying  from  two 
to  ten,  accompanied  by  a  nectariferous  gland  and  inserted  on 
the  base  of  a  scale  wdiich  is  itself  borne 
on  the  rachis  of  a  drooping  raceme 
called  a  catkin,  or  anient.  This  scale  is 
oval  and  entire  and  very  hairy.  The 
anthers  are  rose  colored  in  the  bud  but 
orange  or  purple  after  the  flower  opens, 
they  are  two-celled  and  the  cells  open 

A  Staminate  and  a  Pistillate       i  •,       t        ^^  0^,        r-i  ,  ,1  1 

„  .    „,.,,  longitudinally.    1  he  filaments  are  thread- 

rlower  of  a  Willow.  •=•  -' 

like,  usually  pale  yellow,  often  hairy. 

The  pistillate  flowers  are  also  without  calyx  or  corolla  ; 
and  consist  of  a  single  ovary  accompanied  by  a  small  flat 
gland  and  inserted  on  the  base  of  a  scale  which  is  likewise 
borne  on  the  rachis  of  a  catkin.  This  ovary  is  one-celled, 
the  style  two-lobed,  and  the  ovules  numerous.  The  fruit  is  a 
one-celled,  two-valved,  cylindrical,  beaked  capsule,  contain- 
ing many  minute  seeds  which  are  furnished  with  long,  silky, 
white  hairs.  The  catkins  appear  before  or  with  the  leaves. 
Although  catkin  and  anient  are  interchangeable  words,  cat- 
kin seems  most  appropriate  for  the  flowers  of  the  willow  be- 
cause of  their  furry  appearance  when  half  developed. 

The  genus  Sa/ix  is  admirably  fitted  to  go  forth  and  in- 
habit the  earth,  for  it  is  tolerant  of  all  soils  and  asks  only 
water.     It  creeps  nearer  to  the    North   Pole   than  any  other 

394 


WILLOW 

woody  plant  except  its  companion  the  birch.  It  trails  upon 
the  ground  or  rises  one  hundred  feet  into  the  air.  In  North 
America  it  follows  the  water-courses  to  the  limit  of  the  tem- 
perate zone,  enters  the  tropics,  crosses  the  equator  and  appears 
in  the  mountains  of  Peru  and  Chili.  In  the  old  world  its  range 
is  quite  as  extensive  as  in  the  new.  It  creeps  or  runs  or  stands, 
looks  like  a  weasel  or  is  backed  like  a  camel  according  to  its 
surroundings.  The  books  record  one  hundred  and  sixty 
species  in  the  world  and  these  sport  and  hybridize  to  their 
own  content  and  to  the  despair  of  botanists.  Then,  too,  it 
comes  of  an  ancient  hne.  Impressions  of  leaves  in  the  cre- 
taceous rocks  show  that  it  is  probably  one  of  the  oldest  forms 
of  dicotyledonous  plants. 

BLACK   WILLOW 

Sd/Lv  ulgra. 

Banks  of  streams  and  lakes  ;  the  common  native  willow  that  be- 
comes a  tree.  Twenty  to  forty  feet  high.  Ranges  from  New  Bruns- 
wick to  Florida,  westward  to  the  foot-hills  of  the  Rocky  INIountains 
and  south  into  Mexico  ;  also  appears  in  California. 

Bark. — Dark  brown  or  nearly  black,  sometimes  lighter  brown, 
deeply  divided  into  broad,  flat,  connected  ridges.  Branchlets  slen- 
der, very  brittle  at  the  base,  rather  bright  reddish  brown. 

Wood. — Light  reddish  brown,  sapwood  nearly  white  ;  light,  soft, 
close-grained  and  weak.     Sp.  gr.,  .4456  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  27.77  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Acute,  small,  reddish  brown. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  lanceolate,  three  to  six  inches  long,  often 
curved  at  tip,  and  frequently  conspicuously  scythe-shaped  [x^xx.fal- 
cata),  round  or  wedge-shaped  base,  serrate,  and  the  entire  leaf 
above  the  middle  gradually  narrowed  to  a  tapering  tip.  Feather- 
veined.  Involute  in  bud,  silky  when  unfolding,  when  full  grown 
are  a  bright  pale,  shining  green  above,  pale  green  beneath.  In  au- 
tumn light  yellow,  or  fall  without  changing.  Petioles  short,  slender. 
Stipules  semi-cordate  or  crescent-shaped,  leaf-like,  persistent,  or 
small  and  deciduous. 

Flowers.— ^\^rc\\,  April  ;  before  the  leaves.  Catkins  borne  on 
short  leafy  branches,  narrowly  cylindrical,  one  to  three  inches 
long  ;  stamens  vary  from  three  to  six;  ovary  is  ovate,  smooth,  apex 
stigmatic.  The  fruiting  catkins  vary  from  an  inch  and  a  half  to 
three  inches  in  length. 

395 


WILLOW   FAMILY 

Fruit. — Capsule,  ovate,  conical,  smooth,  and  reddish  brown.  Seed 
minute,  surrounded  by  a  tuft  of  long,  white,  soft  hairs. 

Then  saffern  swarms  swing  off  from  all  the  willers 
So  plump  they  look  like  yaller  caterpillars. 

James  Russell  Lowell. 

There  is  now  but  little  black  willow  down  left  on  the  trees.  I  think  I  see  how 
this  tree  is  propagated  by  its  seeds.  Its  countless  minute  brown  seeds,  just  per- 
ceptible to  the  naked  eye  in  the  midst  of  their  cotton  are  wafted  with  the  cotton 
to  the  water,  most  abundantly  about  a  fortnight  ago  ;  and  then  they  drift  and 
form  a  thick  white  scum  together  with  other  matter,  especially  against  some 
alder  or  other  fallen  or  drooping  shrub  where  there  is  less  current  than  usual. 
There  within  two  or  three  days  a  great  many  germinate  and  show  their  two 
little  roundish  leaves,  more  or  less  tingeing  with  green  the  surface  of  the  scum, 
somewhat  hke  grass-seed  in  a  tumbler  of  cotton.  Many  of  these  are  drifted  in 
amid  the  button  bushes,  willows  and  other  shrubs,  and  the  sedge  along  the  river 
side,  and  the  water  falling  just  at  this  time  when  they  have  put  forth  little  fibres, 
they  are  deposited  on  the  mud  just  left  bare  in  the  shade,  and  thus  probably  a 
great  many  of  them  have  a  chance  to  become  perfect  plants.  But  if  they  do 
not  get  into  sufficiently  shallow  water,  and  are  not  left  on  the  mud  just  at  the 
right  time  probably  they  perish.  The  mud  in  many  such  places  is  now  green 
with  them,  though  perhaps  the  seed  has  often  blown  thither  directly  through 
the  air.  —Henry  D.  Thoreau. 


This  is  the  native  willow  which  oftenest  attains  tree-like 
proportions  in  eastern  North  America,  It  is  usually  found 
leaning  over  the  water  of  streams  and  lakes,  and  may  be 
recognized  by  its  long,  narrow,  yellow 
green,  shining  leaves,  which  taper 
gradually  to  a  long  point  and  give 
the  effect  of  delicate  foliage.  These 
leaves  usually  curve  in  growth,  so  that 
they  take  a  sickle  shape  ;  this  pe- 
culiarity is  frequent  though  not  in- 
variable, but  the  tip  is  often  curved, 
when  the  body  of  the  leaf  is  not. 
Moreover,  each  leaf  bears  small  green 
stipules,  crescent-shaped,  finely  toothed,  and  persistent  as 
long  as  the  leaf  is  growing.  The  bark  is  rather  rough  and 
blackish,  although  individuals  are  found  with  bark  fairly 
light  brown. 


Staminate 
Flower  of 
Black  Wil- 
low, Salix 
nigra. 


396 


BLACK   WILLOW 


Black  Willow,  Salix  nigra. 

Leaves  3'  to  6'  long. 


WILLOW   FAMILY 


SHINING   WILLOW 

Salix  lucida. 

A  bushy  tree  sometimes  twenty  feet  in  height,  found  on  banks  of 
streams  and  swamps,  with  short  trunk  and  erect  branches  which  form 
a  round-topped  symmetrical  head.  Ranges  from  Newfoundland 
westward  across  the  continent  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  southward 
as  far  as  Pennsylvania  and  Nebraska. 

Bark. — Smooth,  dark  brown.  Branchlets  smooth  at  first,  orange 
color  and  shining,  later  dark  brown. 

Winter  Buds. — Ovate,  acute,  light  brown,  one-fourth  of  an  inch 
long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  oblong-lanceolate,  three  to  five  inches  long, 
narrowed  or  wedge-shaped,  or  rounded  at  base,  finely  serrate,  acute 
with  long  tapering  often  falcate  points.  Involute  in  bud,  they  come 
out  green,  when  full  grown  are  leathery,  smooth,  shining,  dark  green 
above,  paler  beneath,  midrib  conspicuously  prominent  beneath. 
Petioles  short,  stout,  yellow,  grooved,  glandular.  Stipules  semi- 
circular, serrate,  membranous  and  often  persistent. 

Flowers. — April,  before  the  leaves.  Staminate 
catkins  oblong-cylindrical,  densely  flowered,  an 
inch  to  an  inch  and  a  half  long,  terminal,  on  short 
leafy  branches  ;  stamens  five.  Pistillate  catkins 
slender,  an  inch  and  a  half  to  two  inches  long, 
becoming  three  or  four  inches  long  when  the  fruit 
ripens,  often  persisting  until  late. 

FruH. — Capsule,  cylindrical,  one-third  of  an 
inch  long,  shining. 


PEACH    WILLOW— ALMONDLEAF 
WILLOW 

Shlix    amygdaloides. 

Sometimes  sixty  to  seventy  feet  high,  with 
straight  trunk  and  straight  ascending  branches, 
usually  much  smaller.  Follows  the  water-courses 
and  ranges  across  the  continent ;  less  abundant  in 
New  England  than  elsewhere.  In  the  west  it  be- 
comes the  common  willow  along  the  banks  of 
streams. 

398 


Almondleaf  Willow, 
Sahx  amygdaloides. 
Leaves  2!  to  3'  long. 


SHINING  WILLOW 


Shining  Willow,  Salix  luci'da. 

Leaves  3'  to  5'  long. 


WILLOW   FAMILY 

Leaves. — Lanceolate,  frequently  falcate,  wedge-shaped  or  rounded 
often  unequal  at  base,  finely  serrate,  narrowed  into  long  slender 
points  at  the  apex.  When  full  grown  they  are  light  green  and  shin- 
ing above,  pale  and  glaucous  beneath.  The  midrib  is  stout,  yellow 
or  orange  ;  the  petioles  are  slender,  one-half  to  three-quarters  of  an 
inch  long  ;  the  stipules  reniform,  serrate,  frequently  half  an  inch 
broad  and  usually  caducous. 

Flowers. — The  catkins  are  two  to  three  inches  long,  the  scales  are 
yellow,  very  hairy,  the  stamens  from  five  to  nine. 

Fruit. — Capsule,  globose-conical,  pale  reddish  yellow,  and  about 
a  quarter  of  an  inch  long. 


SANDBAR   WILLOW— LONG    LEAF   WILLOW 

Salix  Jluvidtilis. 

This  willow  is  usually  about  twenty  feet  in  height,  with  a  trunk 
only  a  few  inches   in  diameter,  and  short  erect  branches,  spreading 
by  stoloniferous  roots  into  broad  thickets.     Rarely  it 
becomes  a  tree  sixty  feet  high  ;  frequently  a  shrub 
five  or  six  feet  high. 


Longleaf  Willow, 
Salix  fiuviatilis. 
Leaves  2'  to  6' 
long,  Yef  to  Yi' 
broad. 


Bark. — Smooth,  dark  brown,  slightly  tinged  with 
red  and  scaly.  Branchlets  are  slender,  smooth,  light 
or  dark  orange  color  or  purplish  red. 

Leaves. — Come  out  of  the  bud  involute,  are  linear- 
lanceolate,  often  falcate,  gradually  narrowed  at  both 
ends,  finely  dentate-serrate,  acute  or  acuminate. 
When  they  first  appear  they  are  exceedingly  silky, 
when  mature  they  are  thin,  smooth,  yellow  green 
above,  paler  green  below.  They  vary  from  two  to 
six  inches  long,  one-eighth  to  one-half  an  inch  wide. 
Midribs  raised  and  prominent ;  petioles  grooved  ; 
stipules  leafy,  deciduous. 

Flowers. — Aments  are  very  silky,  on  the  staminate 
plant  they  are  about  an  inch  long,  terminal  and  axil- 
lary, the  terminal  flowers  opening  first.  The  pistil- 
late aments  are  two  to  three  inches  long  and  terminal 
on  leafy  branches.  Stamens  are  two  with  free  fila- 
ments, ovary  is  very  silky  and  crowned  with  deeply 
lobed  stigmas. 

Fruit. — Capsule,  light  brown,  one-fourth  an  inch 
long. 

The  range  of  Sandbar  Willow  covers  the 
continent  from   the   arctic  circle  to  northern 


400 


BEBB   WILLOW 

Mexico.  It  grows  on  the  river  banks  and  is  the  first  tree  or 
shrill)  in  all  the  northern  interior  region  to  spring  up  on 
newly  formed  sand-bars  and  banks  of  rivers,  holding  the  soft 
mud  in  place  with  its  long  rigid  roots.  It  is  the  herald  of 
the  poplars  and  prepares  the  river  banks  for  their  growth. 
It  is  an  exceedingly  valuable  tree  throughout  the  entire  mid- 
continental  region. 

BEBB   WILLOW 

Salix  behbiana.      Salix  rostmta. 

A  bushy  tree  sometimes  twenty  feet  high  usually  much  smaller, 
frequently  a  shrub.  The  bark  is  reddish  or  olive  green  or  gray 
tinged  with  red.  Branchlets  slender,  reddish  purple,  orange  brown 
or  reddish  brown. 

Leaves. — Come  out  of  the  bud  conduplicate,  are  oblong-obovate, 
wedge-shaped  or  rounded  at  base,  remotely  serrate  or  entire,  acute 
or  acuminate.  When  full  grown  they  are  thick  dull  green  and 
smooth  above,  pale  blue,  or  silvery  white,  downy  below;  one  to 
three  inches  long,  half  an  inch  to  an  inch  wide.  Petioles  are  often 
reddish  ;  stipules  leaf-like,  semicordate,  acute,  sometimes  one-half 
an  inch  long,  deciduous. 

Flowers. — Catkins  appear  with  the  unfolding  leaves,  erect  and 
terminal  on  short  leafy  branches.  The  staminate  catkins  are  sil- 
very white  before  flowering  and  pale  yellow  after,  about  an  inch 
long  and  half  an  inch  broad.  Pistillate  catkins  are  about  an  inch 
long.  Stamens  two,  filaments  free.  Ovary  very  silky,  crowned  with 
spreading  yellow  stigmas. 

Fridt. — Capsule,  elongated,  narrowed  into  a  long  slender  beak, 
borne  on  a  slender  stalk  which  is  longer  than  the  persistent  scale. 

The  Bebb  Willow  will  grow  in  moist  and  in  dry  soil,  on  the 
borders  of  streams  and  on  dry  hillsides.  It  is  more  abundant 
in  British  America  than  in  the  United  States  where  it  ranges 
southwest  to  Pennsylvania  and  westward  to  Minnesota.  It 
has  appeared,  heretofore,  in  the  books  as  S.  rosfrafa,  but  the 
name  has  been  changed  to  S.  behbiana,  to  commemorate  the 
labors  of  Mr.  Michael  S.  Bebb  who  was  an  authority  upon 
the  willows  of  this  country. 

401 


WILLOW   FAMILY 


Bebb  Willow,  Salix  bebbiana. 
Leaves  i'  to  3'  long. 


GLAUCOUS  WILLOW 

GLAUCOUS  WILLOW.  PUSSY  WILLOW 

S^lix  discolor. 

A  small  tree  rarely  more  than  twenty  feet  in  height,  more  often  a 
shrub. 

2^ark. — Light  greenish  brown  sometimes  tinged  with  red,  scaly. 
Branchlets  at  first  are  stout,  dark  reddish  purple,  coated  with  pale 
pubescence,  later  dull  green.  Buds  are  dark  reddish  purple,  flat- 
tened, acute,  three-eighths  of  an  inch  long. 

Leaves. — Come  out  of  the  bud  convolute,  are  oblong  or  oblong- 
ovate  or  lanceolate,  gradually  narrowed  at  both  ends,  wedge-shaped 
or  rounded  at  base,  crenately-serrate,  acute.  When  full  grown  are 
thick  and  firm,  smooth,  bright  green  above,  glaucous  or  silvery  white 
below,  from  three  to  five  inches  long,  from  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a 
half  wide.  Midribs  are  broad,  yellow  ;  petioles  slender  ;  stipules 
leaflike,  semilunate,  acute,  dentate,  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch 
long,  deciduous. 

Flowers.— C^\.\dns  appear  in  very  early  spring,  before  the  leaves, 
over  an  inch  long,  two-thirds  of  an  inch  thick,  white  and  silky  be- 
fore the  flowers  open.  Stamens  two  with  long  slender  filaments. 
Ovary  is  elongated,  downy,  long-stalked  and  crowned  with  a  short 
style  and  broad  spreading  stigmas. 

Fruit. — Capsule,  cylindrical,  long  pointed,  pale  brown  and  downy. 

This  willow  is  common  along  the  banks  of  streams  and 
ranges  from  Nova  Scotia  to  Manitoba  and  south  to  Dela- 
ware ;  west  to  Indiana  and  Illinois  and  northwestern  Mis- 
souri. 

The  leaves  and  twigs  of  many  willows  are  subject  to  gall 
growths  caused  by  the  stings  of  insects.  The  great  cone-like 
buds,  an  inch  or  more  long  and  three-fourths  of  an  inch  in 
diameter  which  are  found  at  the  tips  of  the  branches  of  SalLx 
discolor  especially,  are  an  interesting  example  of  these.  One 
often  sees  a  Pussy  Willow,  growing  by  or  fairly  in  the  bed  of 
a  small  stream,  virtually  covered  with  these  monstrous  buds. 
But  open  one  of  them  with  a  sharp  knife  and  within  will  be 
found  the  sleeping  larva  of  a  gall-fly.  This  bud  is  formed  of 
many  overlapping  scales  which  are  crowded  and  modified 
leaves,  all  diverted  from  their  normal  purpose  and  com- 
pelled to  serve  as  the  covering  of  an  enemy. 

403 


WILLOW  FAMILV 


AiK 


Glaucous  Willow,  Salix  discolor. 

Leaves  3'  to  5'  long.     Showing  a  Gall-bud. 


WHITE   WILLOW 


WHITE  WILLOW.     YELLOW  WILLOW.     BLUE  WIL- 
LOW 

Shlix  alba  var.  viicllina  ;  var.  carulea. 

The  magnificent  willow  tree  which  waves  its  narrow 
pointed  leaves  above  our  heads  in  cultivated  grounds  is  in 
all  probability  a  direct  descendant,  or  a  variety,  or  a  hybrid, 
of  the  White  Willow  of  Europe  which  was  very  early  intro- 
duced into  this  country  and  has  become  very  generally  nat- 
uralized. It  is  one  of  the  few  foreign  trees  which  finds  no 
equal  among  American  trees  of  the  same  genus. 

Gray  says  that  the  original  form  of  Salix  alba  is  now  rare- 
ly found  in  this  country.  The  common  form  is  Salix  vitel- 
lina  or  Yellow  Willow,  so  named  because  of  the  color  of  the 
branchlets.  A  less  common  form,  Salix  cxrulea^  is  often  seen 
having  green  branchlets  and  dull,  bluish  green  leaves. 

The  best  characteristic  of  this  willow  is  its  wonderful  te- 
nacity of  life.  Push  a  White  ^Villow  wand  ten  inches  into  the 
ground  at  the  edge  of  a  stream  where  it  may  always  have 
water  and  it  will  grow,  and  grow  rapidly. 

Loudon  says  that  a  plant  of  Salix  alba  can  be  made  to  turn 
a  summersault,  that  is,  the  branches  of  a  young  plant  may  be 
buried  in  the  soil  and  the  roots  left  above  ground,  and  that 
the  roots  will  become  branches  and  the  branches  will  change 
into  roots. 

CRACK  WILLOW 

Salix  frdgilis. 

This  is  one  of  our  largest  willows,  often  making  a  magnifi- 
cent tree.  A  native  of  Europe,  it  was  introduced  into  this 
country  that  its  twigs  might  be  used  in  basket-making  ;  it  has 
also  been  cultivated  to  produce  charcoal  for  gunpowder. 
Now  thoroughly  naturalized  it  is  common  along  the  banks 
of  streams  and  will  flourish  in  any  moist  situation. 

Ordinarily,  it  grows  fifty  or  sixty  feet  high  wMth  a  full 
round   head,  spreading  limbs   and  green   branchlets.      The 

405 


WILLOW   FAMILY 


White  Wilbw,  Salix  alba,  var.  vUellina. 

^        Leaves  3J^'  to  4'  long. 


CRACK  WILLOW 


Crack  Willow,  Salix  fij^i/ii 

^,eaves  4'  to  7'  long. 


WILLOW   FAMILY 

leaves  are  four  to  seven  inches  long,  one  to  one  and  one-half 
inches  wide,  narrow — oblong  with  wedge-shaped  base,  long, 
tapering,  pointed  apex,  and  serrate  margin  with  thickened 
teeth.  The  midrib  is  very  prominent  on  the  under  side  and 
shows  greenish  white  above.  In  color  the  leaves  are  a  dark 
shining  green  above,  and  smooth,  whitish,  and  glaucous  be- 
neath. The  twigs  are  very  brittle  at  the  base,  and  after  a 
high  wind  the  ground  under  the  tree  is  often  strewn  with 
them.  At  these  times  Crack  Willow  seems  an  appropriate 
name.  The  tree,  however,  is  particularly  beautiful  in  a  light 
wind  for  the  leaves  are  so  poised  that  they  readily  turn  and 
show  the  white  of  their  under  surfaces.  The  species  may  be 
identified  by  the  leaf  which  in  addition  to  the  characteristics 
already  given  has  two  tiny  excrescences  at  the  base  just  at 
the  junction  of  the  leaf  with  the  petiole.  The  tree  is  worthy 
of  more  attention  than  it  has  yet  received. 

Prehistoric  man  knew  the  uses  of  the  willow.  The  strong, 
yielding,  flexible  withes  made  natural  ropes  and  their  use  as 
such  has  come  down  to  recent  times.  The  modern  world  has 
to-day  no  material  better  for  baskets  than  the  willow,  and 
the  Romans  used  it  precisely  as  we  do. 

From  Britain's  painted  sons  I  came, 
And  Basket  is  my  barbarous  name  ; 
But  now  I  am  so  modish  grown 
That  Rome  would  claim  me  for  her  own. 

— Martial. 

Herodotus  is  the  first  of  ancient  writers  to  mention  the 
willow  and  he  speaks  of  the  divining  rods  of  the  ancient 
Scythians. 

Exactly  why  this  tree  should  be  considered  the  emblem 
of  despairing  love  is  not  clear  but  that  it  has  been  so  consid- 
ered from  early  times  is  evident.  Shakespeare  represents 
Dido  lamenting  the  loss  of  ^neas  : 

In  such  a  night 
Stood  Dido,  with  a  willow  in  her  hand. 
Upon  the  wild  sea  banks,  and  waved  her  love 
To  come  again  to  Carthage. 

4c8 


WEEPING   WILLOW 

WEEPING  WILLOW 

S(i/ix  habylSnica. 

By  the  waters  of  Babylon  we  sat  down  and  wept,  when  we  remembered  thee, 
O  Zion !  As  for  our  harps  we  hanged  them  up  upon  the  willow  trees  that  are 
therein.  — Psalm  137. 

The  native  land  of  the  Weeping  Willow  is  Asia.  On  the 
banks  of  the  Euphrates,  near  Babylon,  it  is  abundant.  It 
is  also  found  in  China,  in  Egypt  and  elsewhere  in  Africa. 
Some  authorities  say  it  was  brought  into  England  about  1730  ; 
others  give  the  date  of  its  introduction  as  1692. 

A  pretty  story  is  told  of  Pope  in  connection  with  this  tree. 
It  seems  that  he  was  present  when  Lady  Suffolk  received  a 
package  from  Turkey  and,  observing  that  some  of  the  withes 
bound  around  it  appeared  alive,  said  taking  them  up,  "  Per- 
haps these  may  produce  something  that  we  have  not  in  Eng- 
land." Whereupon,  the  story  adds,  he  planted  one  of  them 
in  his  garden  at  Twickenham  which  became  the  Weeping 
Willow,  afterwards  so  celebrated.  Years  after,  this  willow 
was  cut  down  by  the  owner  of  the  villa  for  the  same  reason 
that  Haskell  cut  down  Shakespeare's  mulberry  tree,  because 
he  was  annoyed  by  persons  asking  to  see  it. 

That  this  willow  is  a  favorite  tree  in  China  is  clear  from 
the  prominence  given  it  in  all  Chinese  pictures  of  landscape. 
The  famous  landscape  on  the  old  Canton  plates  shows  Weep- 
ing Willows  bordering  the  stream  and  surrounding  the  home 
of  the  irate  father.  The  Chinese  also  plant  it  in  their  ceme- 
teries. It  must,  likewise,  at  one  time  in  this  country  have 
been  considered  a  tree  fitted  to  express  elegant  sorrow,  for 
funeral  prints  of  a  tombstone,  shaded  by  a  Weeping  Willow 
under  which  a  mourner  stands  in  the  abandonment  of  grief, 
are  among  the  venerable  treasures  of  many  a  New  England 
household. 

Perhaps,  the  most  famous  tree  of  the  species  is  that  grow- 
ing upon  the  site  of  Napoleon's  grave  at  St.  Helena.  Among 
the  trees  that  had  been  introduced  into  the  island  was  a 
Weeping  Willow  which  attracted  Napoleon's  notice  and  under 

409 


WILLOW   FAMILY 

which  he  used  frequently  to  sit.  About  the  time  of  his  death 
a  storm  shattered  it  and  after  the  interment  of  the  Emperor, 
Madame  Bertrand  planted  several  cuttings  of  the  tree  outside 
the  railing  which  surrounded  the  grave.  After  various  vicis- 
situdes one  of  the  willows  was  found  to  be  in  a  flourishing 
condition  and  from  this  one  have  been  obtained  the  cuttings 
which  have  enabled  so  many  to  possess  a  plant  of  the  true 
Napoleon's  Willow. 

Landscape  gardeners  plant  the  Weeping  Willow  by  streams 
or  waterfalls  in  conjunction  with  the  Weeping  Birch  or  in 
contrast  with  the  Lombardy  Poplar.  To  treat  it  artistically 
is  oftentimes  a  problem,  as  it  is  difficult  to  make  it  harmo- 
nize with  other  trees. 

It  roots  freely  by  cuttings  and  grows  with  great  rapidity 
in  a  rich  soil,  near  water.  Its  shoots  are  brittle  and  neither 
they  nor  the  wood  seem  ever  to  have  served  any  economic 
purpose. 

POPLAR 

PSpnliis 

The  word  Popuhis  is  derived  by  some  from  pallo^  to  vibrate  or 
shake  ;  others  suppose  that  the  tree  obtained  its  name  from  being 
used  in  ancient  times  to  decorate  the  public  places  in  Rome, 
where  it  was  called  arbor  pop^ll^  or  tree  of  the  people. 

The  Poplars  are  a  group  of  rapid  growing  trees  closely 
allied  to  the  willows.  Their  range  includes  both  temperate 
and  arctic  regions  and  in  the  extreme  north  they  produce  ex- 
tended forests.  Nine  species  occur  in  the  United  States  of 
which  five  are  native  to  the  eastern  part  of  the  continent, 
the  others  are  Rocky  Mountain  or  western  trees.  In  addi- 
tion to  these,  three  European  species  are  naturalized  here  ; 
the  White  Poplar,  P.  alba,  the  Lombardy  Poplar,  P.  nigra  var. 
italica,  and  the  Black  Poplar,  P.  nigra. 

The  wood  has  become  valuable  of  late  for  paper  making. 
The  bark  is  heavily  charged  with  tannic  acid  and  in  Europe 
is  used  for  tanning  leather. 

410 


WEEPING   WILLOW 


Weeping  Willow,  Salix  babylomca. 

Leaves  y  to  5'  long. 


WILLOW   FAMILY 


The  flowers  are  dioecious  and  appear  in  early  spring  before 
the  leaves.  They  are  borne  in  long,  drooping,  sessile  or 
pedunculate  aments  which  are  produced  from 
buds  formed  in  the  axils  of  the  leaves  of  the 
previous  year.  The  pistillate  aments  lengthen 
very  considerably  before  maturity.  The  flow- 
ers are  solitary,  each  one  seated  in  a  cup- 
shaped  disk  which  is  borne  on  the  base  of  a 
scale  which  is  itself  attached  to  the  rachis  of 
the  ament.  The  scales  are  obovate,  lobed  and 
fringed,  membranous,  hairy  or  smooth,  usually 
caducous.  The  staminate  flowers  are  without 
calyx  or  corolla  and  consist  simply  of  a  group 
of  stamens,  four  to  twelve,  or 
twelve  to  sixty,  inserted  on  a 
disk  ;  filaments  short,  pale  yellow; 
anthers  oblong,  purple  or  red,  in- 
trorse,  two-celled  ;  cells  opening 
longitudinally. 
The  pistillate  flower  is  equally  destitute  of 
calyx  and  corolla  and  consists  of  a  one-celled 
ovary  seated  in  a  cup-shaped  disk.  The  style  is 
short,  stigmas  two  to  four,  variously  lobed  ; 
ovules  numerous.  The  fruit  is  a  two  to  four- 
valved  capsule,  ripening  before  the  full  develop- 
ment of  the  leaf ;  greenish  or  reddish-brown. 
The  seed  is  light  brown  and  surrounded  by  a 
tuft  of  long,  soft,  white  hairs. 

Populus  is  the  oldest  type  of  dicotyledonous 
plants  yet  identified.  When  Sequoias,  Pines  and 
Cycads  made  up  the  bulk  of  the  cretaceous  forests  of  Green- 
land, the  Poplar  alone  of  deciduous  trees  waved  its  fluttering 
leaves  among  their  dark  branches. 


Cottonwood,  Popu- 
lus dcltoidcs.  Stam- 
inate Aments,  3' 
to  4'  long. 


Cottonwood, 
Populus  del- 
toides.  Pistil- 
late Aments, 
3'  to  4'  long. 


412 


ASPEN 


ASPEN.  QUAKING  ASP 

rSpulus  (rc/mt hide's. 
Trcmuloidcs  refers  to  the  fluttering  habit  of  the  leaves. 

Most  widely  distributed  tree  of  North  America.  Prefers  a  rather 
moist  sandy  soil  and  gravelly  hillsides.  Small,  slender,  rarely  reach- 
ing the  height  of  fifty  feet,  but  credited  with  one  hundred  feet  in 
northern  Arizona  at  an  elevation  of  8,000  feet  above  the  sea.  Grows 
rapidly  and  forms  a  narrow  round-topped  head.  Roots  large,  vig- 
orous and  stoloniferous. 

Bark.— On  old  trees  near  the  base  almost  black  ;  higher  on  the 
trunk  and  on  young  stems,  pale  greenish  brown  or  yellow  brown  or 
nearly  white,  often  roughened  with  horizontal  bands  or  wart-like  ex- 
crescences and  marked  below  the  branches  with  large,  dark,  lunate 
scars.  Branchlets  at  first  red  brown,  and  shining,  turning  finally  to 
a  light  gray,  afterward  becoming  dark  gray,  for  two  or  three  years 
much  roughened  by  leaf-scars.  The  sweet  inner  bark  in  eaj-ly  spring 
is  used  as  food  by  the  Indians  of  the  north. 

Wood. — Light  brown,  sapwood  nearly  white,  soft,  close-grained, 
neither  strong  nor  durable.  Largely  used  in  the  manufacture  of 
paper  ;  and  in  the  west  for  flooring  and  turnery.  Burns  freely  when 
green.     Sp.  gr.,  0.4032  ;  \veight  of  cu.  ft.,  25.13  lbs. 

Whiter  Buds  .—"Ltdii-hnds  slightly  resinous,  reddish  brown,  conical 
acute,  somewhat  incurved,  one-fourth  of  an  inch  lono-  ;  narrower 
than  the  obtuse  flower-buds. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  one  and  a  half  to  two  inches  long, 
ovate  or  nearly  round,  slightly  cordate  or  truncate  at  base,  finefy 
serrate  with  glandular-tipped  teeth,  acute.  Feather-veined,  midrib 
and  primary  veins  conspicuous.  They  come  out  of  the  bud  involute, 
smooth,  light  green,  shining,  ciliate  on 
margins,  when  full  grown  are  thin,  dark 
green,  shining  above,  pale,  dull,  yellow 
green  beneath.  In  autumn  they  turn  a 
clear  bright  yellow.  Tremulous.  Pet- 
ioles long,  slender,  and  laterally  com- 
pressed.    Stipules  caducous. 

Flowers. — April,  borne  in  pendulous 
aments  one  and  a  half  to  two  and  a  half 
inches  long,  from  buds  formed  the  season    .  c      •  ,     r..   . 

U^f^   ^         'T'l  a  A  ^  ^  btaminate  and  a  Pisti  ate  Flower 

before.       Ihe    one-flowered    scales    are         ..  r,  j.  ,     ^ 

J  1       J-    -J      1    •     .        ,1  .        r         1-  '^^  Aspen,   Fopulus  tremuloidcs  : 

deeply  divided  into  three  to  five  linear,       eniar<^ed 

acute  lobes  fringed  with  long,  soft,  gray 

hairs.     Stamens   from  six   to   twelve,   inserted  on  a  disk  which  is 

oblique,  with  entire  margin.      Ovary  is  conical ;  style  short,  thick  ; 

stigmas    two,    divided   into    lobes.     Ovary    surrounded    by    broad 

oblique  disk,  which  is  persistent. 

413 


WILLOW   FAMILY 

Fruit. — Oblong-conical  capsules,  two-valved,  thin-walled,  light 
green  and  nearly  one-fourth  an  inch  long,  borne  in  drooping  aments 
about  four  inches  long.  Seeds  obovate,  light  brown  and  surrounded 
with  long,  soft,  snowy  white  hairs.      May  and  June. 

Nature  chooses  wisely  her  place  for  Aspen  tremuloides  at  the  edge  of  a  wood, 
with  darker,  higher  trees  behind  as  a  background. 

— Edith  Thomas. 

The  entire  Poplar  family  are  a  restless  folk  and  the  Aspen 
the  most  so  of  the  group.  The  reason  lies  in  a  personal 
peculiarity.  The  character  of  the  petiole  or  leaf  stem  has 
much  to  do  with  the  movement  of  the  foliage  of  every  tree. 
In  the  beech  and  elm,  for  example,  the  petiole  is  short  and 
stiff  and  as  a  consequence  the  leaves  have  little  independent 
motion  but  sway  with  the  branch.  The  Poplars,  on  the  other 
hand,  have  long  slender  petioles  to  begin  with,  and  these  are 
laterally  compressed — pinched  sidewise,  not  flattened — and 
this  compression  being  vertical  to  the  plane  of  the  leaf, 
counteracts  the  ordinary  waving  motion  which  a  leaf  has  in 
the  wind  and  causes  it  to  quiver  with  the  slightest  breeze, 
whence  the  proverbial  comparison,  "  Trembling  like  an  aspen 
leaf."  From  Homer  to  Tennyson  the  race  of  poets  have 
noted  this  peculiarity  of  all  aspens. 

Some  wove  the  web, 
Or  twirled  the  spindle,  sitting,  with  a  quick 
Light  motion  like  the  aspen's  glancing  leaves. 

—Odyssey. 


-Spenser. 


His  hand  did  quake 
And  tremble  like  a  leaf  of  aspen  green. 

A  perfect  calm,  that  not  a  breath 

Is  heard  to  quiver  through  the  closing  woods, 

Or  rustling  turn  the  many  twinkhng  leaves 

Of  aspen  tall. 

—Thomson. 

Willows  whiten,  aspens  quiver. 

— Tennyson. 

The  small  Aspen  is  a  very  common  tree,  little  prized  and 
rarely  planted.     Often  an  undergrowth  in  an  oak  wood,  it  is 

414 


ASPEN 


Aspen,  Popnlus    liemnloidcs. 
Leaves  ij^'  to  2>  long. 


WILLOW   FAMILY 

perhaps  better  known  when,  forming  a  little  thicket,  it  mak^. 
a  mass  of  trembling  leaves  on  a  gravelly  bank  by  the  road- 
side, or  skirts  the  border  of  a  swamp,  or  forms  the  first 
growth  on  dry  upland  which  has  been  swept  by  fire.  Under 
favorable  conditions  it  becomes  a  tree  fifty  feet  in  height 
and  in  the  mountains  of  Arizona  will  reach  one  hundred  feet. 
Small  and  quivering  leaves  necessarily  make  a  tree  look 
fragile  and  it  is  doubtful  if  any  size  could  take  from  it  the 
appearance  of  weakness  which  is  its  marked  characteristic. 

The  trunk  is  slender,  the  head  round-topped,  the  bark 
pale  green  becoming  whitish  and  blotched  and  marred  with 
age.  The  leaf  is  almost  round,  with  a  slightly  heart-shaped 
base,  serrate  margin  and  acute  apex.  It  comes  out  of  the 
bud  involute,  pale  green,  shining  and  downy,  but  finally  be- 
comes smooth  and  firm  in  texture,  dark  green  above  and  dull 
yellow  green  beneath.  The  seeds  ripen  in  May  and  by 
means  of  the  long  white  hairs  which  surround  them  are 
borne  by  the  winds  to  a  considerable  distance  from  the 
parent  tree. 

It  ranges  from  Hudson's  Bay  to  Mexico.  It  grows  farther 
north  than  the  spruce  and  the  larch,  and  flourishes  on  the 
mountain  ranges  of  Chihuahua. 

Professor  Sargent  says  :  "  The  great  value  of  the  Aspen 
lies  HI  the  power  of  its  small  seeds,  supported  by  their  long 
hairs  and  wafted  far  and  near  by  the  wind,  to  germinate 
quickly  in  soil  which  fire  has  rendered  infertile  ;  and  in  the 
ability  of  the  seedling  plants  to  grow  rapidly  in  exposed 
situations.  Preventing  the  washing  away  of  the  soil  from 
steep  mountain  slopes  and  affording  shelter  for  the  young  of 
longer-lived  trees,  it  has  played  a  chief  part  in  determining 
the  composition  and  distribution  of  the  subalpine  forests  of 
western  America  and  in  recent  years  it  has  spread  over  vast 
areas  of  the  slopes  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  from  which  fire 
had  swept  the  coniferous  trees."  Loudon  considers  our 
American  Aspen  to  be  but  a  variety  of  the  Aspen  of  Europe, 
Populus  tremiila. 

There  lingers   in  Scotland,  it  is  said,  the  belief  that  the 

416 


LARGE-TOOTHED   ASPEN 


Large-toothed  Aspen,  Popnlus  grandidentata. 

Leaves  3'  to  4'  long. 


WILLOW   FAMILY 

Aspen  is  the  tree  of  whose  wood  the  cross  of  our  Saviour  was 
made  and  that  it  still  shivers  in  remembrance  of  that  fact. 

Far  off  in  highland  wilds  'tis  said, 
But  truth  now  laughs  at  fancy's  lore, 
That  of  this  tree  the  cross  was  made 
Which  erst  the  Lord  of  Glory  bore ; 
And  of  that  deed  its  leaves  confess 
E'er  since  a  troubled  consciousness. 

—Spirit  of  the  Woods. 


LARGE-TOOTHED  ASPEN 


Fop u his  grandidentata. 

Common  in  the  forest,  preferring  rich,  moist,  sandy  soil,  near  the 
borders  of  swamps  and  streams.  Reaches  the  height  of  sixty  feet, 
with  a  trunk  two  feet  in  diameter  and  slender  spread- 
ing branches  which  form  a  narrow  round-topped 
head.  Ranges  from  Nova  Scotia  through  Ontario  to 
Minnesota;  southward  to  Delaware,  along  the  Alle- 
ghanies  to  North  Carolina,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee. 

Bark. — On  old  trees  near  the  base,  dark  brown, 
fissured  and  divided  into  broad  flat  ridges ;  on 
younger  stems  and  on  the  branches  smooth  and  light 
gray  tinged  with  green.  Branchlets  stout,  coated 
at  first  with  pale  tomentum,  later  they  become  red- 
brown  or  dark  orange,  finally  become  dark  gray, 
much  roughened  by  the  leaf  scars. 

Wood. — Light  brown,  sapwood  nearly  white  ; 
light,  soft,  close-grained  but  not  strong.  Largely 
manufactured  into  wood  pulp,  occasionally  used  for 
wooden-ware.  Sp.  gr.,  0.4632;  weight  of  cu.  ft., 
28.87  lbs. 

Leaf  Buds. — Spread  from  the  branch  at  a  wide 
angle,  broadly  ovate,  acute,  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
long  ;  about  half  the  size  of  the  flower-buds  which 
otherwise  resemble  them. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  simple,  three  to  four  inches 
long  two  to  three  inches  broad,  broadly-ovate,  three- 
nerved,  wedge-shaped,  truncate  or  rounded  at  base, 
coarsely  and  irregularly  crenate  with  incurved  teeth, 
acute  or  acuminate  ;  midrib  and  veins  conspicuous. 
They  come  out  of  the  bud  involute,  coated  with  hoary  tomentum, 
when  full  grown  are  dark  green  above,  pale  green  beneath.     In 

418 


Large-Toothed 
Aspen,  Populus 
grandidentata. 
Fruiting  Ament, 
4'  to  5'  long. 


SWAMP   COTTONWOOD 

autumn  they  turn  a  clear  bright  yellow.  Petiole  slender,  laterally 
compressed,  one  and  a  half  to  two  and  one-half  inches  long.  Stip- 
ules caducous. 

Flowers .  —  A'ipvW,  borne  in  pendulous  aments,  one  and  a  half  to  two 
and  a  half  inches  long,  from  buds  formed  the  season  before.  The 
one- flowered  scales  are  deeply  divided  into  five  or  six  acute  lobes, 
with  soft  light  gray  hairs  which  also  cover  the  disk.  Stamens  from 
six  to  twelve,  inserted  on  a  shallow  obHque  disk  with  entire  margin  ; 
filaments  short,  slender  ;  anthers  light  red.  Ovary  oblong-conical, 
light  green,  hairy  ;  style  short  ;  stigmas  spreading,  divided  into  fili- 
form lobes.     The  ovary  enclosed  in  the  persistent  disk. 

Fruit. — Oblong,  curved  capsule,  light  green,  thin-walled,  hairy, 
two-valved,  one-eighth  inch  long,  borne  on  a  drooping  ament  four  to 
five  inches  long.  Seed  minute,  dark  brown,  surrounded  by  rather 
short,  snowy  white  hairs.     May. 

The  Large-toothed  Aspen  is  gregarious,  loves  to  grow  in 
thickets  ;  its  leaves  twinkle  on  the  gravelly  hill-side  or  along 
the  river-bottom  ;  it  ripens  its  long,  drooping,  necklace-like 
aments  in  May  as  its  leaves  unfold  and  in  every  particular 
proves  itself  a  poplar. 

The  high-sounding  name,  F.  grandidentata^  means  simply 
that  the  teeth  of  the  leaf  margin  are  a  little  larger  than  those 
of  P.  trejnuloides. 


SWAMP  COTTONWOOD.  BLACK  COTTONWOOD. 
DOWNY  POPLAR 

PSpiilus  heterophylla. 

Rare  in  New  England,  common  in  the  south  Atlantic  states,  abun- 
dant in  the  lower  Mississippi  valley.  Loves  low  wet  land.  In  the 
north  is  a  tree  forty  feet  high,  with  a  rather  round-topped  head, 
its  maximum  height  is  ninety  feet. 

Bark. — On  old  trees,  light  brown  tinged  with  red,  often  broken 
into  long  narrow  plates  attached  only  at  the  middle  ;  on  young  trees 
divided  by  narrow  shallow  fissures  into  flat  lidges.  Branchlets  con- 
tain an  orange-colored  pith,  at  first  are  dark  red  brown  or  ashy  gray, 
later  much  darker  and  roughened  by  leaf  scars. 

Wood. — Dull  brown,  sapwood  lighter  brown  ;  light,  soft  and  close- 
grained.  Is  now  often  manufactured  into  lumber  in  the  west  and 
south  and  used  in  interior  finish  of  buildings.  Sp.  gr.,  0.4089; 
weight  of  cu.  ft,,  25.48  lbs. 

419 


WILLOW   FAMILY 


Swamp   Cottonwood,   Popnliis   licterophjlla.     Leaves  4'  to 
long. 


Leaf  Bicds. — 
Slightly  resinous, 
ovate,  acute,  cov- 
ered with  bright  red 
brown  scales,  one- 
fourth  an  inch  long 
and  half  the  size  of 
the  flower-buds. 

Leaves. — Alter- 
nate, four  to  seven 
inches  long,  two  to 
three  inches  broad, 
broadly  ovate,  cor- 
date or  truncate  or 
rounded  with  a  small 
sinus  at  base,  finely 
or  coarsely  crenate- 
ly-serrate  with  in- 
curved glandular 
teeth,  acute,  or  short 
pointed  or  rounded 
at  apex ;  midrib  and  veins  conspicuous,  and  sometimes  downy. 
They  come  out  of  the  bud  involute,  covered  with  thick  white  tomen- 
tum,  when  full  grown  are  dark  green  above  pale  and  smooth  be- 
neath. In  autumn  they  turn  dull  yellow  or  brown.  Petioles  terete, 
slender,  tomentose  or  smooth,  two  and  one- 
half  inches  long;  stipules  caducous. 

Flowers. — March,  April.  Staminate  am- 
ents  are  broad,  densely  flowered,  erect  at 
first  but  finally  pendulous,  two  to  two  and 
one-half  inches  long  with  stout,  brittle,  hairy 
stems.  Their  scales  are  narrowly  oblong- 
ovate,  brown,  divided  into  many  narrow 
light  red  brown  lobes  and  falling  as  the  am- 
ents  lengthen.  Stamens,  twelve  to  twenty, 
with  slender  filaments  and  large  dark  red 
anthers,  are  inserted  on  an  oblique,  slightly 
concave  disk,  with  spreading  border.  Pis- 
tillate aments  few-flowered,  one  to  two 
inches  long  ;  ovary  ovoid,  terete  or  three- 
angled  ;  style  short,  stout  with  two  or  three 
dilated,  two  or  three-lobed  stigmas. 

Fruit. — In  maturing  the  fruiting  aments 
become  four  to  six  inches  long,  pedicels 
half  an  inch  long ;  capsules  ripen  in  May, 
are  ovate,  acute,  red  brown,  two  to  three-  • 
valved,  one-half  an  inch  long  ;  seed  small, 
dark  brown,  surrounded  by  many  short, 
silvery  white  hairs  which  are  often  tinged 
with  orange. 


Part  of  the  Fruiting  Ament 
of  Swamp  Cottonwood, 
Populus  hcterophylla. 


420 


BALSAM 


Balsam,  Popidus  balsamifera. 

Leaves  y  to  5'  long,   1%^  to  3'  broad. 


WILLOW   FAMILY 

Though  heart  of  oak  be  e'er  so  stout 
Keep  me  dry,  and  I'll  see  him  out. 

— Old  inscription  ofi  a  poplar  plank. 

The  wood  of  this  tree  under  the  name  of  Black  Poplar  is 
much  used  in  the  west  in  the  interior  finish  of  buildings. 

This  is  the  one  poplar  whose  petioles  are  not  laterally  com- 
pressed— therefore  the  leaves  do  not  flutter  as  do  those  of 
other  species.  It  is  called  the  Downy  Poplar  because  the 
leaves  retain  the  down  on  their  veins  more  abundantly  than 
other  poplars. 


BALSAM.    TACMAHAC.     BALM  OF  GILEAD 

P6pitliis   balsamifera. 

In  New  England  and  middle  States  about  sixty  feet  high,  but  in 
the  Valley  of  the  Mackenzie  River  in  Canada  it  reaches  one  hun- 
dred feet,  with  a  trunk  six  or  seven  feet  in  diameter.  Prefers  the 
bottom-lands  of  rivers  and  borders  of  swamps. 

Bark. — On  old  trees  dark  brownish  gray,  divided  into  broad 
rounded  ridges  covered  with  small  closely  appressed  scales.  On 
younger  stems  and  branches  light  brown  tinged  with  green,  and 
smoothed  or  roughened  by  dark  excrescences.  Branchlets  stout, 
dark  red  brown,  shining  or  downy  at  first,  later  they  become  dark 
orange,  finally  gray  tinged  with  yellow  green. 

Wood. — Light  brown,  sapwood  nearly  white  ;  light,  soft  close- 
grained,  not  strong.  Used  extensively  in  the  manufacture  of  paper. 
Sp.  gr.,  0.3635;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  22.65  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Leaf-buds  ovate,  long  pointed,  brownish  yellow, 
the  terminal  bud  nearly  an  inch  long.  The  axillary  three-quarters 
of  an  inch  long.  Saturated  with  a  yellow  balsamic  sticky  exudation, 
shining,  beginning  to  open  soon  after  midwinter,  they  are  covered 
with  five  oblong,  closely  imbricated,  thick  scales.  Flower-buds  sim- 
ilar to  terminal  leaf-buds. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  three  to  five  inches  long,  one  and  one-half  to 
three  inches  wide,  ovate-lanceolate,  rounded  or  cordate  at  base, 
crenate-serrate  with  slightly  thickened  margins,  acute  or  acuminate  ; 
midrib  and  primary  veins  conspicuous.  They  come  out  of  the  bud 
involute,  light  yellow  green  coated  with  the  gummy  secretions  of 
the  bud  and  slightly  hairy,  when  full  grown  are  deep  dark  green, 
shining  above,  pale  green  often  ferruginous  below.  In  autumn 
they  turn  a  bright  yellow.     Petioles  long,  slender,  compressed  later- 

422 


BALM   OF   GILEAD 


Balm  of  Gilead,  Populus  balsamifera  candicans. 
Leaves  4'  to  6'  long. 


WILLOW   FAMILY 


ally,  enlarged  at  the  base.     Stipules  vary  in  shape  and  remain  until 

the  leaf  is  half  grown. 

Flowers. — March,  April,  before  the  leaves.     Pistillate  aments  are 

two  and  one-half  to  four  inches  long,  one-third  of  an  inch  thick  ; 
scales  are  broadly  ovate,  light  brown,  scarious,  often 
irregularly  three-lobed  or  parted  at  the  apex  which 
is  fringed  with  short  thread-like  lobes.  Stamens 
twenty  to  thirty,  with  short  filaments  and  large  light 
red  anthers,  inserted  on  an  oblique,  slightly  concave, 
short-stalked  disk.  Ovary  ovate,  slightly  two-lobed, 
sessile  in  a  deep  cup-shaped  disk.  Stigmas  two,  ses- 
sile, dilated. 

Fruit. — Fruiting  aments  four  to  six  inches  long  ; 
capsules  open  May  or  June,  are  ovate-oblong,  often 
curved,  two-valved,  light  brown.  Seeds  oblong-ovate, 
light  brown  surrounded  by  slender  hairs  which  sur- 
round the  aments  with  masses  of  snow-white  cotton 
which  is  wafted  with  the  seed  great  distances  from  the 
tree. 


A  Staminate 
and  a  Pistillate 
Flower  of  Bal- 
sam, Popiilus 
halsamifcra  ; 
enlarged. 


0U 


The  greatest  part  of  the  drift  timber  that  we  observed  on 
the  shores  of  the  Arctic  Sea  was  Balsam  Poplar.  Its  Cree 
name  is  Matheh-metoos,  which  means  ugly  poplar. 

— Sir  John  Franklin's  Report  of  Last  Journey. 


The  Balsam  or  Tacmahac  is  the  largest  tree 
of  northwestern  America.  In  the  valley  of  the 
Mackenzie  and  upper  Yukon  it  attains  magnifi- 
cent proportions,  reaching  the  height  of  one 
hundred  feet  with  a  diameter  of  six  or  seven, 
and  forms  dense  forests  thousands  of  square 
miles  in  extent.  It  possesses  all  the  poplar 
characteristics  ;  of  drooping  catkins,  whitish 
trunk,  fluttering  shinmiering  leaves,  and  cot- 
tony seeds. 

Fopuliis  balsamifcra  candicans  is  the  tree  in 
northeastern  United  States  and  Canada  known 
as  the  Balm  of  Gilead.  It  is  more  and  more  fre- 
quently cultivated  as  a  shade-tree,  especially  in 
cities  where  bituminous  coal  is  habitually  used. 
Three  varieties  are  distinguished  in  cultivation. 

It  differs  from  the  specific   form   in    its   more    spreading 
branches,  in  its  broader  heart-shaped  leaves  which   are  more 

424 


Balsam,  Populus 
balsamifera. 
Fruiting  Am- 
ents 4'  to  (/ 
long. 


COTTONWOOD 


Trunk  uf  Cottonwood,  Popiilns  iicltoides. 


WILLOW   FAMILY 

coarsely  serrate,  and  in  the  pubescence  which  when  young  is 
found  on  both  leaves  and  petioles.  The  buds  and  apex  of 
the  growing  shoots  are  heavily  laden  with  a  fragrant  gum- 
my secretion. 

COTTONWOOD 

PSptiliis  deltoldes.     Pdpidiis  monilifcra.      PSpulus  angtilata. 

Deltoides,  like  the  Greek  letter  delta,  refers  to  the  shape  of  the 
leaf ;  monilifcra  refers  to  the  necklace-like  pistillate  ament ; 
angtilata  refers  to  the  angled  stem  of  the  shoots. 


Comparatively  rare  and  of  small  size  in  the  eastern  states,  the 
Cottonwood  is  the  largest  and  most  abundant  tree  along  the  streams 
between  the  Appalachian  and  the  Rocky  Mountains,  reaching  the 
height  of  a  hundred  feet. 

Bark. — On  old  trees  ashy  gray  and  deeply  divided 
into  broad  rounded  ridges  broken  into  scales  which 
cover  the  light  yellow  inner  bark.  On  young  stems 
and  branchlets  smooth  light  yellow  green  tinged  with 
red.  Young  shoots  become  angular  in  their  second 
year. 

Wood. — Dark  brown,  sapwood  nearly  white  ;  light, 
soft,  close-grained,  not  strong.  Warps  badly  in  dry- 
ing ;  is  now  used  only  in  the  manufacture  of  paper- 
pulp,  cheap  packing  cases  and  fuel.  Sp.  gr.,  0.3889  ; 
weight  of  cu.  ft.,  24.24  lbs. 

Leaf  Buds. — Resinous,  shining,  acute,  chestnut 
brown,  half  an  inch  long.  Flower-buds  ovate,  ob- 
tuse, half  an  inch  long. 

Leaves. — Alternate,  three  to  five  inches  in  length, 
deltoid  or  broadly  ovate,  truncate,  slightly  cordate  or 
wedge-shaped  at  base,  crenately-serrate  with  coarse, 
incurved,  glandular  teeth.  They  come  from  the  bud 
involute,  gummy,  fragrant  with  balsamic  odor,  pale 
green  or  tawny,  drooping,  but  at  maturity  they  are 
thick,  bright  shining  green  above,  paler  green  be- 
neath. In  autumn  they  turn  a  clear  bright  yellow. 
Petioles  slender,  two  to  thr€e  inches  long,  compressed 
laterally,  yellow  or  red.  Stipules  vary  in  size,  cadu- 
cous. 

Flowers. — March,  April,  before  the  leaves.  Stam- 
inate  trees  densely  flowered,  aments  three  to  four 
inches  long,  one-half  inch  thick.     Scales  are  scarious, 

426 


Winter  Branch 
of  Cotton- 
wood,  Popu- 
lus  deltoides. 


COTTONWOOD 


CuUuinvoe)d,  Popiiltis  i/i'Iloide:) 
Leaves  3'  to  5'  long. 


WILLOW   FAMILY 

light  brown,  smooth,  dilated  and  irregularly  divided,  caducous. 
Stamens  sixty  or  more,  with  short  filaments  and  large  dark  red 
anthers,  inserted  on  a  broad  oblique  disk.  Pistillate  tree  sparsely 
flowered.  Ovary  subglobose,  surrounded  at  base  by  a  cup-shaped 
disk.     Stigmas  three  to  four,  dilated  or  lobed. 

Fruit. — Mature  aments  eight  to  twelve  inches  long.  Capsule  ob- 
long-ovate, acute  at  apex,  dark  green,  three  to  four-valved.  Seed 
oblong-ovate,  rounded  at  apex,  surrounded  by  a  tuft  of  long  white 
or  slightly  rusty  hairs  which  make  up  the  mass  of  delicate  cotton 
that  has  given  this  tree  its  common  name. 

With  its  massive  pale  stem,  its  great  spreading  limbs  and  broad  head  of  pen- 
dulous branches  covered  with  fluttering  leaves  of  the  most  brilliant  green,  Pop- 
uliis  deltoides  is  one  of  the  stateliest  and  most  beautiful  inhabitants  of  the  forests 
of  eastern  America. 

—Charles  S.  Sargent. 

This  is  the  tree  that  under  the  name  of  Carolina  Poplar  is 
extensively  planted  in  cities.  It  is  proving  itself  an  admir- 
able shade-tree  for  the  cities  of  the  middle  west  where  soft 
coal  is  burned.  Its  smooth  glossy  leaves  have  just  enough 
natural  varnish  about  them  to  keep  the  soot  from  clinging, 
and  so  they  are  bright  and  clean  and  healthy  when  those  of 
the  elm  and  the  maple  are  soiled  and  choked  and  dying. 


WHITE  POPLAR.     ABELE-TREE 

PSpiihis  alba. 
The  poplar  that  with  silver  lines  his  leaf. 

— COWPER. 

The  green  wood  moved  and  the  light  poplar  shook 
Its  silver  pyramid  of  leaves. 

— Barrv  Cornwall. 

The  ancients  consecrated  the  White  Poplar  to  time  because  the  leaves  are 
in  continual  agitation  ;  and  being  of  a  blackish  green  on  one  side,  with  a  thick 
white  cotton  on  the  other  they  were  supposed  to  indicate  the  alternation  of  day 
and  night. 

— Sentiment  of  Floivers. 

The  English  name  of  this  tree  is  derived  from  the  Dutch 
name,  Abeel  ;  it  is  believed  to  have  come  into  England  by  way 
of  Holland. 


WHITE    POPLAR 


White  Poplar,  Popnltis  alba. 

Leaves  2'  to  5'  long. 


WILLOW   FAMILY 

The  foliage  effect  of  a  tree  is  often  compounded  of  the  dif- 
ferent colors  shown  by  the  two  sides  of  its  leaves,  of  which 
the  White  Poplar  gives  a  marked  example  ;  or  by  new  leaves 
coming  out  and  showing  themselves  upon  the  dark  back- 
ground of  older  leaves  as  is  the  case  with  the  locusts  and 
the  conifers.  This  mingling  of  green  and  white  makes  the 
White  Poplar  a  most  effective  ornamental  tree,  but  it  is 
never  safe  to  allow  it  a  free  hand,  for  the  root  is  creeping 
and  produces  suckers  indefinitely,  so  that  in  a  brief  period 
a  parent  tree  will  be  surrounded  by  a  numerous  and  well- 
grown  family  that  will  soon  convert  the  place  into  a 
thicket. 

The  White  Poplar  is  native  of  both  Europe  and  Asia  and 
was  brought  to  this  country  very  early.  In  favorable  situa- 
tions it  rises  to  the  height  of  eighty  or  one  hundred  feet,  with 
a  sturdy  trunk  and  spreading  head.  The  bark  of  the  lower 
part  of  the  trunk  is  dark  and  furrowed  and  that  of  the  upper 
part  and  larger  branches  is  greenish  gray  with  dark  markings 
and  blotches.  The  young  shoots  are  covered  with  a  white 
down  and  continue  to  come  out  far  into  midsummer,  thus  in- 
creasing the  white  appearance  of  the  tree.  The  leaves  are 
either  lobed  or  coarsely  and  sparingly  toothed,  very  dark 
green  and  smooth  above,  covered  with  a  thick  snowy  down 
beneath,  and  tremulous  like  all  their  kind.  With  the  elm  and 
the  early  maples  it  responds  to  the  first  warm  days  of  spring 
and  when  in  full  bloom,  may  be  said  fairly  to  drip  catkins,  so 
covered  is  every  branch  with  the  pendulous  aments,  three 
inches  long  and  as  large  as  one's  finger. 

According  to  ancient  mythology  the  White  Poplar  was 
consecrated  to  Hercules  because  he  destroyed  Cacus  in  a 
cavern  adjoining  Mt.  Aventinus,  which  was  covered  with 
these  trees  ;  and  in  the  moment  of  his  triumph  he  bound  his 
brows  with  a  branch  of  White  Poplar  as  a  token  of  his  vic- 
tory. Persons  offering  sacrifices  to  Hercules  were  always 
crowned  with  branches  of  this  tree  ;  and  all  who  had  glori- 
ously conquered  their  enemies  in  battle  wore  garlands  of  it, 
in  imitation  of  Hercules.     Homer  in  the  "  Iliad  "  compares 

430 


WHITE    POPLAR 


Staminate  Aments  of  White  Poplar,  Populns  alia. 


WILLOW    FAMILY 

the    fall    of    Simoisius   when    killed    by  Ajax    to    that    of   a 
poplar. 

So  falls  a  poplar  that  on  watery  ground 

Raised  high  its  head  with  stately  branches  crowned. 

Ovid  mentions  that  Paris  had  carved  the  name  of  ^none 
on  a  poplar,  as  Shakespeare  makes  Orlando  carve  the  name 
of  Rosalind  upon  the  trees  of  the  forest  of  Arden. 

Virgil  gives  directions  for  the  culture  of  this  tree  and  Hor- 
ace speaks  of  the  White  Poplar  as  delighting  to  grow  on  the 
banks  of  rivers. 

LOMBARDY  POPLAR 

Pdpulus  nigra  itdlica. 

The  poplar  there 
Shoots  up  its  spire,  and  shakes  its  leaves  i"  the  sun. 

— Barrv  Cornwall. 

The  Lombardy  Poplar  was  the  first  ornamental  tree  intro- 
duced into  the  United  States.  A  century  ago  it  was  ex- 
tremely fashionable,  and  although  it  has  fallen  from  its  high 
estate,  nevertheless,  it  is  by  no  means  to  be  despised.  Two 
things  it  can  do.  It  can  make  a  narrow  leafy  wall  sooner  and 
more  satisfactorily  than  any  other  tree,  and  it  can  grow  by  the 
roadside  and  not  shade  the  street.  It  is  the  only  deciduous 
tree  whose  branches  hug  the  stem  and  resulting  from  that  is 
its  peculiar  spiry  shape,  which  is  individual.  When  the  wind 
blows,  unlike  other  trees  that  wave  in  parts,  it  waves  in  one 
simple  sweep  from  top  to  bottom. 

The  poplar  shoot 
Which  like  a  feather  waves  from  head  to  foot. 

— Leigh  Hunt. 

The  native  home  of  the  Lombardy  Poplar  has  been  a  sub- 
ject of  much  discussion,  but  good  opinion  now  is  that  it  orig- 
inated in  Afghanistan.  It  is  said  to  grow  wild  in  a  forest 
near  Cabul  at  an  elevation  of  7,500  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.        In  early    times    it   was    cultivated    in    western    Asia, 

432 


WHITE   POPLAR 


Pistillate  Aments  of  White  Poplar,  Populus  alba. 


WILLOW    FAMILY 

whence  it  was  introduced  into  Europe.  Pliny  makes  no 
mention  of  it  which  indicates  that  it  was  not  known  in  Italy 
in  his  time. 

Although  not  long-lived  it  has  become  thoroughly  domes- 
ticated with  us.  By  the  middle  of  April  the  catkins  are 
drooping  from  all  our  native  poplars  and  the  Lombardy  is 
not  to  be  left  behind.  The  Abele  or  White  Poplar,  indeed, 
hung  out  its  plumes  first  of  all,  but  now  the  Lombardy  ap- 
pears bearing  hers — or  rather  his  for  they  are  all  staminate 
— on  the  topmost  branches  of  the  tree.  So  high  are  they 
that  it  is  difficult  to  get  them  ere  they  fall.  They  appear  on 
the  second  year's  wood  and  come  out  stiff  and  curved  and 
reddish  brown  but,  by  and  by,  like  all  their  kind  they  droop, 
and  casting  their  useless  pollen  to  the  wind  they  pass  away. 

The  leaves  come  out  from  the  bud  a  lovely  yellow  green, 
become  firm  and  darker  as  the  days  go  by  and  flutter  on  ap- 
pressed  stems  all  summer  long,  turning  in  autumn  to  a  rich 
golden  yellow. 

The  following  quotation  given  by  Loudon  from  the  Gen- 
tleman s  Magazine  shows  the  estimation  in  which  the  Lom- 
bardy Poplar  was  held  in  his  day  : 


The  Lombardy  Poplar,  considered  as  a  tall  conical  mass  of  foliage,  be- 
comes of  great  importance  in  scenery  when  contrasted  with  round-headed  trees. 
It  is  a  known  rule,  in  the  composition  of  landscape  that  all  horizontal  lines  should 
be  balanced  and  supported  by  perpendicular  ones  ;  hence  a  bridge  displaying 
a  long  and  conspicuous  horizontal  line,  has  its  effect  greatly  increased  by  pop- 
lars planted  on  each  end  of  it.  Lombardy  Poplars  may  be  advantageously 
planted  whenever  there  is  a  continuance  of  horizontal  lines,  but  they  should  be 
so  arranged  as  to  form  part  of  those  lines  and  to  seem  to  grow  out  of  them,  rather 
than  to  break  or  oppose  them  in  too  abrupt  a  manner.  In  the  case  of  a  stable 
or  other  agricultural  building  where  the  principal  mass  extends  in  length  rather 
than  in  height  it  would  be  wrong  to  plant  Lombardy  Poplars  or  other  tall  fasti- 
giate  trees  immediately  before  the  building,  but  they  will  have  a  good  effect 
when  placed  at  the  sides  or  behind  it. 

This  poplar  or  some  equally  fastigiate  tree  should  appear  in  all  plantations 
and  belts  that  are  made  with  a  view  to  picturesque  effect.  Masses  of  round- 
headed  trees,  though  they  might  be  seen  to  advantage  in  some  situations,  when 
grouped  with  other  objects,  yet,  when  contemplated  by  themselves  are  quite  un- 
interesting, from  their  dull  and  monotonous  appearance,  but  add  poplars  and 
you  immediately  create  an  interest  and  give  a  certain  character  to  the  group 
which  it  did  not  before  possess. 

434 


LOMBARDY    POPLAR 


Lombardy  Poplar,  Popnlus  nigra  italica. 
Leaves  i^'  to  3'  long. 


GYMNOSPERMAE 


PINACEiE— PINE    FAMILY 

PINES.     CONIFERS 

Pinhcece.      Con  if  era. 

The  Cone  Bearers  form  an  extremely  interesting  natural 
group  of  trees.  They  were  so  named  originally^  because  of 
their  fruit  of  which  the  pine  cone  is  a  typical  example. 
They  are  commonly  known  as  Evergreens  because  with  the 
exception  of  the  Larch  and  the  Bald  Cypress  their  leaves 
remain  upon  the  branches  over  the  winter.  These,  how- 
ever, are  but  outward  and  visible  signs  of  an  inward  and 
structural  difference  which  removes  the  Pines  far  away 
from  their  companions  in  the  forests  of  to-day.  Without 
going  into  technical  details,  two  general  principles  may  be 
noted.  In  the  first  place,  every  plant  is  rated  in  the  natural 
system  according  to  the  simplicity  or  complexity  of  its  floral 
organs,  and  by  its  antiquity  as  indicated  in  the  geological 
record. 

Now  the  Pines  are  a  survival  from  the  devonian  age. 
They  were  contemporaries  of  the  Lycopods,  the  Sigillards 
and  the  Cycads,  whose  remains  constitute  our  coal  measures 
to-day.  They  are  the  oldest  living  representatives  of  the 
forests  of  the  ancient  world,  and  they  retain  the  simplicity 
of  floral  structure  which  marked  the  vegetation  of  those 
early  times.  In  the  flower  of  a  conifer  there  is  no  ovary; 
the  ovule  lies  naked  upon  the  surface  of  a  scale.  There  are 
no  stigmas,  no  insect  is  needed  to  aid  in  the  fertilization, 
the  fate  of  the  Pines  depends  upon  the  wind.  The  scientists 
calmly  assign  the  Cojuferce  to  a  place,  with  the  Club-mosses 
on  one  side  and  the  Cat-tails  on  the  other.  This  arrangement 
fairly  takes  the  breath  of  a  layman  or  an  amateur  but  it  is 
unassailable,  they  belong  there. 

439 


PINE    FAMILY 

The  Finacece  as  now  constituted  comprises  the  Pine,  Larch, 
Spruce,  Hemlock,  Fir,  Cypress,  Sequoia,  Cedar,  Arborvit?e, 
and  Juniper.  The  Yew  and  the  Gingko,  a  naturalized  Chinese 
tree,  belong  to  the  Taxacece  or  Yew  family. 


THE  PINE 

Pl)lllS. 

There  occur  within  the  limits  of  the  United  States  thirty- 
nine  species  of  Pine  ;  seven  are  found  in  New  England  and 
middle  Atlantic  states,  seven  flourish  principally  in  the  low- 
lands of  the  south  and  twenty-five  are  recognized  in  the 
west.  The  central  basin  of  the  Mississippi  has  none.  They 
are  tolerant  of  many  conditions  of  soil  and  climate  ;  they 
flourish  on  the  lowlands  at  the  water's  edge  ;  they  climb  the 
mountains  to  the  timber  line  ;  they  inhabit  the  drifting  sands 
upon  the  shore  and  keep  back  the  waves  of  the  sea.  The 
method  of  growth  is  peculiar  and  characteristic.  The 
branches  are  disposed  in  regular  order,  circularly  in  imper- 
fect whorls  around  the  central  trunk.  One  of  these  whorls 
is  formed  each  year  from  the  row  of  branch  buds  which  en- 
circle the  main  stem  and  these  whorls  furnish  an  easy  way  to 
tell  the  age  of  young  trees.  But  in  the  forest  these  branches 
die  and  even  the  marks  of  them  disappear  so  that  the  trunk 
rises  a  smooth  unbroken  shaft  for  sixty  or  one  hundred 
feet. 

The  roots  of  the  Pine  never  descend  deep  and  they  are 
practically  imperishable  by  the  action  of  the  elements  alone. 
When  pine  lands  are  cleared,  the  stumps  are  often  made  into 
fences,  by  placing  them  in  rows,  with  their  roots  interlacing. 
Such  fences  "are  both  picturesque  and  enduring. 

The  wood  may  be  hard  or  soft  but  it  is  usually  resinous. 
The  other  products  are  turpentine,  rosin  and  tar.  Turpen- 
tine is  the  resinous  exudation  of  the  tree,  obtained  in  this 
country  by  cutting  a  pocket  through  the  bark  into  the  wood 

440 


PINE 

and  allowing  the  resinous  juices  to  collect  there,  I'his  crude 
turpentine  when  distilled  gives  pure  spirits  of  turpentine  and 
rosin.  Tar  is  obtained  by  the  destructive  distillation  of  the 
wood,  which  in  the  southern  states  is  done  in  a  very  crude 
and  wasteful  manner. 

The  leaves  are  of  two  kinds,  primary  and  secondary.  The 
primary  leaves  are  usually  simple  scales  but  sometimes  they 
appear  green  and  linear.  The  secondary  are  the  evergreen 
needles  which  make  up  the  ordinary  foliage  of  the  tree. 
These  arise  from  the  axils  of  the  primary  leaves  in  clusters 
of  two  to  five,  surrounded  by  a  sheath  which  is  formed  by 
the  union  of  several  bud  scales. 

In  the  two-leaved  clusters  the  needles  are  flat  above,  con- 
vex below  ;  in  those  clusters  containing  three  or  more,  the 
needles  are  triangular,  more  or  less  keeled.  The  margins 
are  serrulate,  the  tips  usually  callous. 

The  flowers  are  naked,  monoecious  and  appear  in  early 
spring.  The  staminate  flowers  are  clustered  at  the  base  of 
the  leafy  shoots  of  the  year  in  the  axils  of  bracts  ;  are  yel- 
low, orange,  or  scarlet ;  oval,  cylindrical,  or  oblong.  They 
are  composed  of  many,  sessile,  two-celled  anthers,  imbricated 
in  many  ranks,  upon  a  central  axis,  each  anther  surmounted 
by  a  crest-like,  semiorbicular  connective.  Each  flower  is  sur- 
rounded at  base  by  an  involucre  of  scale-like  bracts,  usually 
definite  in  number  in  each  species,  the  two  external  bracts 
strongly  keeled  at  the  back.  The  pollen  of  the  pine  is  very 
abundant.  The  pistillate  or  ovule-bearing  flowers  are  sub- 
terminal  or  lateral,  solitary,  in  pairs,  or  in  clusters,  erect  or 
recurved,  sessile  or  pedunculate,  borne  near  the  apex  of  the 
axils  of  bud-scales.  They  are  composed  of  many  carpel-like 
scales,  each  in  the  axil  of  a  small  bract,  and  spirally  arranged 
about  a  central  axis.  Each  bract  is  rounded,  obtuse,  and 
bears  on  the  inner  surface  near  the  base  two,  naked,  inverted 
ovules. 

The  fruit  is  a  woody  strobile  called  a  cone,  which  matures 
the  second  or  third  year  after  flowering.  The  seeds  are  in 
pairs,  attached  at  the  base  in  shallow  depressions  on  the  inner 

441 


PINE    FAMILY 

surface  of  the  scales.  As  they  fall  away  they  take  with  them 
portions  of  the  membranaceous  lining  of  the  scale  which  form 
wing-like  attachments.  The  cotyledons  vary  from  three  to 
eighteen.  Pines  may  be  easily  raised  from  seeds  which,  how- 
ever, must  not  be  permitted  to  become  dry  as  they  soon  lose 
their  vitality. 

The  world  finds  many  of  its  most  important  timber  trees 
among  the  Pines,  and  the  wood  is  used  in  such  enormous 
quantities  that  the  destruction  of  the  forests  is  inevitable. 
Even  if  left  to  itself  it,  undoubtedly,  would  in  course  of  time 
have  succumbed  under  the  hard  conditions  of  the  modern 
world  ;  but  now  that  man  has  come  into  the  field  with  axe 
and  torch,  there  is  no  escape,  the  Pine  is  doomed  ;  and  must 
live  hereafter,  if  it  lives  at  all,  as  a  domestic  tree,  the  object 
of  man's  care  and  protection. 

As  Darwin  states  the  situation,  "The  Oaks  have  driven 
the  Pines  to  the  sands."  The  Pine  is  handicapped  in  the 
race  of  life  because  of  its  inability  to  reproduce  itself  with 
the  vigor  of  other  trees.  As  soon  as  it  is  cut  down  the  root 
dies,  there  exists  no  power  of  sending  forth  shoots  from  the 
stump  and  forcing  new  growth.  There  are  exceptions  to 
this  rule  but  this  is  the  general  law.  The  pine  seed  is  light, 
its  vitality  fleeting,  and  it  must  find  favorable  conditions  at 
once  or  its  chance  is  gone.  The  acorn  can  wait,  and  so  the 
Pines  have  been  steadily  driven  backward  by  the  nut-bearing 
trees  and  especially  the  oaks,  foot  by  foot,  from  the  deep 
rich  soil  until  the  proper  characterization  of  their  habitat 
is  not,  "Centres  of  Distribution,"  but  "Areas  of  Preserva- 
tion." 

The  following  table  will  assist  in  the  determination  of 
species. 

Leaves  5  in  a  sheath  ;  3'  to  4'  long  ;  cone-scales  slightly  thickened  at  the  tip. 

F.  strobus.     White  Pine. 
Leaves  2  or  3,  in  a  sheath  ;   cone-scales  much  thickened  at  the  tip. 

I — Con  es  Term  ina  I  or  Su  bterm  in  a  I : 

Leaves  2  in  a  long  sheath  ;   4'  to  6'  long;   cone  ovate-conical,  i^'  to 
2%'  long;   scales  without  prickles.  P.  resinous.      Red  Pine. 

442 


WHITE    PINE 

Leaves  3  in  a  long  sheath  ;  10'  to  16'  long ;  cones  6'  to  10'  long ; 
scales  prickle-tipped.  P.  palustris.     Long-leaved  Pine. 

I — Cones  Lateral : 

Leaves  3  in  a  sheath  (rarely  2  or  4) ;  6'  to  10'  long ;  cones  ovate-ob- 
long, 3'  to  5'  long;    scales  with  stout  recurved  prickles. 

P.  taeda.     Loblolly  Pine. 

Leaves  3  in  a  sheath;  3'  to  5'  long;  cones  ovoid-conical  or  ovoid,  i' 
to  3^'  long,  often  clustered;  scales  with  short,  stout,  recurved 
prickles.  P.  rigida.      Pitch  Pine. 

Leaves  2  in  a  sheath;  }^'  to  2^'  long;  cones  oblong-conical,  in- 
curved, lYz    to  2'  long;   scales  with  minute  often  deciduous  prickles. 

/'.  divaricata.     Gray  Pine. 

Leaves  2  in  a  sheath  (rarely  3)  ;  3'  to  5'  long;  cones  oblong-conical 
or  ovate,  i^'  to  2^'  long;   scales  with  slender  prickles. 

P.  echinata.     Yellow  Pine. 

Leaves  2  in  a  sheath;  i^'  to  3'  long;  cones  oblong-conical  often 
curved,  i^'  to  3'  long;  scales  with  slender,  straight  or  incurved 
prickles.  P.  virginiana.     Jersey  Pine. 

Leaves  2  in  a  sheath ;  4'  to  6'  long ;  cones  ovate,  2'  to  3'  long ; 
scales  spineless  ;  cultivated. 

P.  laricio.     var.  austriaca.     Austrian  Pine. 

Leaves  2  in  a  sheath;  2'  to  4'  long,  twisted,  bluish  green;  cones  ovoid- 
conic,  2'  to  3'  long  ;  scales  spineless  ;   cultivated. 

P.  sylvestris.     Scotch  Pine.     Scotch  Fir. 


WHITE  PINE.     WEYMOUTH  PINE 

Phi  lis  strobus. 

SU'ohus,  the  name  of  a  Persian  tree  now  unknown.  Weymouth  is 
the  name  common  in  England  because  this  pine  was  first  cultivated 
by  Lord  Weymouth. 

When  growing  under  favorable  conditions  reaches  the  height  of 
one  hundred  and  twenty  feet  with  a  diameter  of  three  to  four  feet, 
rarely,  it  becomes  much  higher.  Flourishes  on  sandy  soil  especially 
that  formed  by  disintegration  of  granite  rock.  Roots  stout,  horizon- 
tal, practically  imperishable.  Branches  horizontal  and  in  whorls. 
Grows  rapidly  and  forms  dense  forests.  Ranges  from  Newfound- 
land to  Manitoba,  south  along  the  Alleghanies  to  Georgia  and  south- 
west to  the  valley  of  the  Iowa.  Ascends  4,300  feet  in  North  Caro- 
lina and  2,300  feet  in  the  Adirondacks. 

443 


PINE   FAMILY 


Bark. — On  old  trees  dark  gray,  divided  by  shallow  fissures  into 
broad  scaly  ridges.  On  young  stems  and  branches,  thin,  smooth, 
lustrous,  brownish  green.  Branchlets  slender  at  first  covered  with 
rusty  tomentum,  later   they  become   dark  yellow   brown,  smooth, 

becoming    darker    as    the    branch   becomes   older. 

Charged  with  tannic  acid. 

Wood. — Light  brown,  sapwood  nearly  white  ;  light, 
soft,  compact,  straight-grained,  very  resinous,  easily 
worked,  takes  a  fine  polish.  Pumpkin  pine  is  the 
close-grained  valuable  wood  of  large  trees  that  have 
grown  to  a  great  age  on  rich  well-drained  soil.  Used 
for  lumber,  shingles,  cabinet-making,  interior  of 
houses,  masts  and  spars  of  vessels.  Sp.  gr.,  0.3854; 
weight  of  cu.  ft.,  24.02  lbs. 

Buds. — The  branch  buds  are  ovate-oblong,  acu- 
minate, covered  by  ovate-lanceolate,  light  brown 
scales  ;  terminal  bud  usually  about  one-half  an  inch 
long,  sometimes  as  short  as  the  lateral  ones  that 
surround  it. 

Leaves. — In  clusters  of  fives  ;  they  come  out  of 
the  buds  which  are  enclosed  under  the  scales  of  the 
branch  bud.  The  buds  of  leaf  clusters  are  covered 
by  eight  scales  which  lengthen  with  the  growing 
leaves.  The  leaves  when  full  grown  are  soft,  slen- 
der, bluish  green,  glaucous,  three  to  five  inches  long, 
sharply  serrate,  mucronate  with  pale  tip  ;  usually 
turn  yellow  and  fall  in  September  of  second  year. 
Fibro-vascular  bundle  one  ;  sheath  loose,  decid- 
uous. 

Flowers. — June.      Staminate    flowers    oval,    light 

White  Pine,  Pimis     brown,  about  one-third  of  an  inch  long,  surrounded 

strobtis.    Leaves     ^y  six  to  eight  involucral  bracts  ;   anthers  with  short 

3'to4Mong.  crests;    involucral   bracts    six    to    eight.      Pistillate 

flowers    cylindrical,   subterminal,   about   one-fourth 

an    inch   long  ;  scales  pinkish  purple  on   the   margins  ;  peduncles 

stout,  clothed  with  bracts.     Pollen  very  abundant. 

Cones. — Subterminal,  drooping,  cylindrical,  often  slightly  curved, 
four  to  six  inches  long,  one  inch  in  diameter.  Mature  in  autumn  of 
second  year  ;  open  and  discharge  seeds  during  September  and  fall 
gradually  during  the  winter  and  early  spring.  Scales  one  and  one- 
fourth  to  one  and  one-half  inches  long.  Seven-eighths  of  an  inch 
wide,  oblong-ovate,  slightly  thickened  at  apex,  obtuse  or  nearly  trun- 
cate, without  spine  or  prickle  ;  seeds  red  brown,  mottled  ;  wing 
nearly  an  inch  long  ;  cotyledons  eight  to  ten. 


Its  cloudy  boughs  singing  as  suiteth  the  pine, 

To  snow  bearded  sea  kings,  old  songs  of  the  brine. 

— James  Russell  Lowell. 


444 


WHITE  PINE 


\  .,:  '/    ' 


\  V\'f\i( 


i 


..(.  ,:.   -■>'  .?# 

It     > 


^' -"^  WMF 

K 


White  Pine,  Finns  strobns. 

Leaves  5  in  a  sheath,  3'  to  4'  long. 


PINE    FAMILY 

The  murmuring  pines  and  the  hemlocks 
Bearded  with  moss  and  in  garments  green,  indistinct  in  the  twilight 
Stand  like  Druids  of  eld  with  voices  sad  and  prophetic, 
Stand  like  harpers  hoar  with  beards  that  rest  on  their  bosoms, 

— Henry  W.  Longfellow. 

Many  voices  there  are  in  Nature's  choir,  and  none  but  were  good  to  hear 
Had  we  mastered  the  laws  of  their  music  well,  and  could  read  their  meaning 

clear ; 
But  we  who  can  feel  at  Nature's  touch,  cannot  think  as  yet  with  her  thought ; 
And  I  only  know  that  the  sough  of  the  pines  with  a  spell  of  its  own  is  fraught. 
•  — Eraser's  Magazine. 

The  White  Pine  is  the  tallest,  the  most  stately  and  beauti- 
ful of  all  our  eastern  conifers,  it  is  the  most  ornamental  for 
parks  and  lawns,  as  well  as  by  far  the  most  valuable  econom- 
ically. In  the  forest  it  grows  straight  as  an  arrow,  towering 
branchless  until  it  gains  the  forest  roof  where  it  spreads  out 
a  more  or  less  open  head  ;  in  the  open  it  takes  on  the  form 
of  all  free  growing  trees,  the  lower  branches  live  and  lengthen, 
the  trunk  gets  fat  and  sturdy.  But  no  one  pine  is  ever  so 
beautiful  as  a  grove  of  pines.  The  great  shafts  towering  up- 
ward like  Corinthian  columns — the  ceaseless  murmur  of  the 
wind  in  the  tree-tops — the  soft  brown  carpet  of  fallen  needles 
— the  subdued  light — the  stillness — the  absence  of  joyous  life 
— all  unite  to  induce  feelings  of  reverence  and  awe. 

The  White  Pine  bears  the  smoothest  bark  of  all  the  pines, 
on  old  trunks  it  does  indeed  fissure  and  separate  into  small 
plates  but  they  are  simply  loose  at  the  edges  and  do  not 
scale  off.  On  young  stems  the  bark  is  very  smooth,  a  red- 
dish green  or  reddish  brown  and  covered  in  summer  with  a 
very  striking  ashy  or  pearly  gloss.  The  primary  leaves  are 
simply  thin  and  chaff-like  bud-scales,  from  their  axils  proceed 
the  secondary  needle-shaped  evergreen  leaves  in  clusters  of 
five.  A  cross  section  of  these  needle-shaped  leaves  is  trian- 
gular. The  edges  are  serrate.  The  massed  foliage  is  beau- 
tiful ;  the  needles  are  bright  bluish  green,  soft,  slender, 
delicate,  and  disposed  in  pretty  tassels  upon  the  branch. 
Although,  apparently,  to  an  evergreen  all  seasons  are  the 
same,  yet  the  White  Pine  has  a  fashion  of  folding  its  needles 

446 


WHITE    PINE 


Trunk  of  White  Pine,  Pinns  strobus. 

A  Cultivated  Tree. 


PINE    FAMILY 

together  when  cold  weather  comes  as  if  it  were  preparing  for 
a  long  winter's  sleep. 

The  cones  are  long,  slender,  loose,  and  terminal,  without 
spine  or  prickle,  and  fall  in  the  winter  of  their  second  year. 
The  seeds  should  be  sown  in  the  spring  and  covered  lightly, 
if  at  all.  The  seedlings  are  delicate  and  should  always  be 
protected  from  both  wind  and  sun. 

The  expression,  "  Bearded  with  moss,"  is  more  than  a  poet's 
fancy.  Tufts  of  gray  moss  are  found  abundantly  on  the 
trunks  of  all  pines  that  grow  in  damp,  close,  northern  woods, 
the  thread  is  round  and  fine  like  a  hair,  and  a  bunch  of 
the  moss  constantly  suggests  the  gray  beard  of  an  old  man. 
This  moss  plays  an  important  part  in  the  domestic  life  of  the 
northern  Indians,  it  is  in  this  warm,  soft  substance  that  the 
Indian  babies  are  packed  for  transportation  on  their  cradle 
boards.  A  good  Indian  mother  gathers  it  by  the  bushel,  it  is 
like  linen  for  the  tender  flesh,  it  is  soft,  resinous,  aseptic, 
porous,  healthful ;  and  the  small  brown  baby  swathed  in  moss 
may  be  quite  as  well  off  physically  as  his  civilized  neighbor 
clothed  in  flannel  and  linen. 

The  economic  value  of  the  White  Pine  gives  to  its  life 
history  an  interest  which  under  other  circumstances  it  might 
not  have.  It  is  clear  that  the  commercial  supply  will  soon 
be  exhausted.  The  best  pines  of  the  northern  states  have 
already  been  cut,  a  few  forest  tracts  still  remain  but  they  are 
in  process  of  extinction. 

The  White  Pine  has  considerable  vitality  and  has  shown 
itself  capable  of  taking  possession  of  the  abandoned  lands  of 
New  England,  where  vigorous  young  forests  are  springing 
up  on  land  worthless  for  any  other  crop.  But  it  cannot 
come  again  on  a  tract  that  has  been  devastated  by  fire. 


448 


WHITE    PINE 


White  Pine,  Pmns  strobus. 

Cones  4'  to  6'  long. 


PINE    FAMILY 


RED  PINE.     NORWAY  PlNE.     CANADIAN  PINE 


Piniis  resinosa. 


Usually  seventy  to  eighty  feet  high,  with  straight  trunk  two  to 
three  feet  diameter  ;  in  old  age  forming  an  open  picturesque  head. 
Range  is  northward  from   Newfoundland   to   Manitoba,  in  United 
States  is    most    abundant    in   Michigan,  Wis- 
\  D      consin,  and  Minnesota.    Found  on  dry  gravel- 

ly or  light  sandy  soils,   or   dry  rocky  ridges. 
Grows  rapidly  in  cultivation. 

Bark. — Bright  reddish  brown,  divided  by 
shallow  fissures  into  shallow  scaly  ridges. 
Branchlets  stout,  smooth,  pale  orange  at  first, 
then  darker  orange  and  finally  reddish  brown. 
Charged  with  tannic  acid. 

Wood. — Pale  red,  sapwood  yellow  or  white  ; 
light,  hard,  close-grained.  Contains  broad, 
dark-colored,  very  resinous  bands  of  small 
summer  cells.  Used  for  buildings,  bridges, 
piles,  masts  and  spars  ;  largely  exported  from 
Canada.  Sp.  gr.,  0.4854  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft., 
30.25  lbs. 

Buds. — Branch-buds  ovate,  acute,  one  to 
three-fourths  of  an  inch  long,  covered  with 
loosely  imbricated,  pale  brown  scales  ;  bases 
of  scales  persistent  for  several  years. 

Leaves. — In  clusters  of  two  ;  four  to  six 
inches  long,  slender,  flexible,  dark  green, 
shining,  serrulate,  acute  with  callous  tips ; 
fibro-vascular  bundles  two  ;  sheaths  firm,  per- 
sistent, half  an  inch  to  an  inch  long. 

Flowers. — Staminate    flowers    borne    in    a 
dense  cluster  on  the  recent  shoots,  occupying 
the  place  of  the  leaves  for  an  inch  or  more, 
linear-oblong,  one-fourth  to  three-fourths  of 
an    inch    long ;    anthers  dark  reddish  purple 
with  orbicular  toothed  crests  ;  scales  six,  de- 
ciduous by  articulation  above  the  base.    Pistil- 
late flowers  terminal,  almost  globular  ;  scales 
scarlet,  ovate,  borne   on  stout  peduncles  cov- 
ered with  pale  brown  bracts. 
Cones. — Subterminal,    solitary  or    clustered,  m.ature    the    second 
year,  ovate-conical,  two  to  two  and   one-half  inches  long,  smooth, 
scales  slightly  thickened   at  the   apex,  rounded,  devoid  of  spine  or 

450 


Red  Pine,  Pinus  resinosa. 
Leaves  4'  to  6'  long. 


RED   PINE 

prickle.  Seeds  oval,  compressed,  one-eighth  of  an  inch  long,  chest- 
nut brown,  mottled  ;  wings  three-quarters  of  an  inch  long  one-quarter 
wide,  broadest  below  the  middle. 

The  Red  Pine  is  a  northern  tree  and  finds  its  most  con- 
genial home  in  Newfomidland  and  westward  along  the  north- 
ern shore  of  the  St.  Lawrence,  through  Ontario  and  Mani- 
toba, coming  but  sparingly  into  the  United  States.  It  does 
not  make  close  forests,  hence  it  is  not  a  timber  tree.  It 
grows  wdien  possible  in  the  open  ;  in  the  forest  one  looks  for 
it  at  the  edge  of  a  lake  wdiere,  at  least,  it  may  have  light  and 
air  and  freedom  on  one  side.  It  is  usually  found  alone  on 
dry,  sandy,  gravelly  or  rocky  places,  never  on  flat  lands  with 
cold  clay  bottoms.  It  is  a  very  beautiful  tree.  The  branches 
are  in  distinct  whorls,  the  branchlets  are  stout  and  covered 
with  a  thick  false  bark,  composed  of  the  bases  of  the  leaf 
scales  wdiich  run  dowai  along  the  stem.  The  leaves  are  four 
to  six  inches  long,  in  clusters  of  two,  and  form  very  conspicu- 
ous tufts  at  the  end  of  the  branchlets.  The  sheaths  are  long 
and  it  is  a  common  amusement  among  children  to  pull  out  one 
leaf,  put  the  point  of  the  remaining  one  into  the  vacant  place, 
and  so  make  a  link  of  a  leafy  chain. 

The  glory  of  the  Red  Pine  is  its  staminate  blossoms. 
Imagine  a  tree,  eighteen  inches  in  diameter  and  fifty  feet  high, 
branching  near  the  ground  as  regularly  as  an  oak  and  stand- 
ing in  an  open  space  on  the  bank  of  a  northern  lake.  The 
dark  green  leaves  covered  with  pale  bloom  give  a  shim- 
mering effect  as  they  respond  to  the  slightest  movements  of 
the  wind.  From  top  to  bottom,  on  the  tip  of  every  branch 
may  be  seen  in  early  spring  the  dark  red  tassels  of  staminate 
blossoms,  short  and  thick  and  crowded  forming  a  cluster  that 
so  far  as  effect  goes  is  a  deep  red  rose.  The  supreme  mo- 
ment is  brief,  the  flowers  wdther  very  soon,  cast  their  pollen 
to  the  wind  and  are  gone.  Well  developed  Red  Pine  trees 
are  so  rare  in  northern  Minnesota  that  they  are  landmarks  ; 
the  finest  are  found  on  the  Indian  reservations  where  they 
have  escaped  the  axe  and  the  torch.  The  cones  are  short, 
unarmed,  ovate-conical,   a  bright   cinnamon  brown  like   the 

451 


PINE    FAMILY 

bark,  and  fairly  clear  of  resin.  They  are  scattered  along  the 
branches  and  are  not  very  numerous.  They  hold  their  seeds 
fairly  well.  In  the  spring  as  the  snow  begins  to  go  and  the 
birds  come  back,  the  little  red-breasted  cross-bill  stops  on 
its  way  north  to  feed  on  these  seeds.  The  birds  come  in 
flocks  and  take  possession  of  a  tree  ;  and  it  is  interesting 
to  see  their  little  hooked  bills  jerk  out  the  seeds  from  the 
cones.     The  Red  Pine  should  find  a  place  in  every  park* 

LOBLOLLY   PINE.      OLD    FIELD    PINE 

Finns  taeda. 


Taeda,  the  torch,  was  the  classical  name  of  a  resinous  pine  tree. 

Varying  from  eighty  to  one  hundred  feet  with  a  tall  straight  trunk. 
A  southern  tree  but  ranging  as  far  north  as  New  Jersey.  Inhabits 
the  low  lands  adjacent  to  tide-water  :   rarely  makes  pure  forests. 

Loves  the  swamps,  but  is  found  in 
the  sandy  borders  of  Pine-barrens. 
In  the  southwest  it  becomes  an  im- 
portant timber  tree.  Grows  rapidly; 
tap  root  large  and  strong.  Fragrant. 


Bark. — Reddish  brown  with  shal- 
low fissures  and  broad,  flat,  scaly 
ridges.  Branchlets  glaucous, 
smooth,  yellow  brown  and  covered 
with  the  brown,  reflexed,  inner 
scales  of  the  branch-buds  which 
persist  for  several  years. 

Wood. — Variable  in  value,  light 
brown,  sapwood  pale.  The  more 
northern  tree  produces  lumber 
which  is  weak,  brittle,  coarse- 
grained, not  durable  ;  the  southern 
tree  produces  a  better  quality  ; 
resinous. 

Btids. — Branch  -  buds,  obovate- 
oblong,  acute  or  acuminate  at 
apex,  with  brown  scales  which 
terminate  in  long,  slender,  dark 
tips.  Terminal  buds  much  larger 
than  the  lateral  buds. 


Loblolly  Pine,  Pinus  taeda. 
Leaves  6''  to  \c/  long. 


452 


LOBLOLLY   PINE 


Lublolly  Pine,  Finns  taeda. 
Cones  3'  to  5'  long. 


PINE    FAMfLY 

Leaves. — In  clusters  of  three,  slender,  stiff,  slightly  twisted,  acute 
with  callous  tips,  serrulate,  pale  green,  glaucous,  six  to  ten  inches 
long;  fibro-vascular  bundles  two.     Sheaths  close,  thin. 

Flowers. — April,  May.  Staminate  flowers  clustered,  cylindrical, 
three-fourths  of  an  inch  long  ;  anthers  yellow  with  rounded  denticu- 
late crests  ;  involucral  bracts  eight  to  ten.  Pistillate  flowers  lateral, 
not  far  from  the  apex  of  the  growing  shoot  which  is  several  inches 
long  before  they  appear  ;  solitary  or  in  pairs,  sometimes  in  clusters  of 
three.  Scales  yellow  ;  peduncles  short,  covered  by  brown  acuminate 
bracts. 

Cones. — Lateral,  ovate-oblong,  three  to  five  inches  long.  Scales 
armed  with  stout  recurved  prickles,  slightly  concave,  rounded  at  the 
apex.  Seeds  dark  brown  blotched  with  black,  rhomboidal  ;  wings 
thin,  fragile,  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long. 

Scales  thickened  at  apex,  transverse  ridge  prominent,  armed  with 
stout  recurved  prickles,  slightly  concave,  rounded. 


PITCH    PINE.     TORCH    PINE 

Finns  rigida. 

Usually  fifty  or  sixty  feet  in  height,  with  short  trunk  ;  bears 
cones  when  quite  small ;  capable  of  producing  vigorous  shoots  from 
both  stem  and  stump  after  injury  by  fire.  Bears  both  primary  and 
secondary  leaves.  Ranges  from  New  Brunswick  to  Georgia,  west- 
ward to  Kentucky  and  Tennessee.  Found  in  dry  sands  or  rocky 
soil  and  in  cold  deep  swamps.  Ascends  3,000  feet  above  the  sea 
in  Virginia. 

Bark. — Dark  reddish  brown,  with  deep  fissures  and  broad,  flat, 
scaly  ridges.  On  young  stems  thin  and  broken  into  plate-like,  dark, 
red  brown  strips.  Branchlets  smooth,  bright  green  at  first,  become 
orange  yellow,  finally  a  dark  gray  brown. 

Wood. — Light  brown  or  red,  sapwood  yellow  or  white  ;  light,  soft, 
not  strong,  coarse-grained,  durable,  very  resinous.  Used  for  lum- 
ber, fuel,  and  charcoal.     Sp.  gr.,  0.5151  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  32.10  lbs. 

Buds. — Branch-buds  obovate-oblong,  acute,  one  to  three-fourths 
of  an  inch  long  ;  scales  dark  brown,  shining,  fringed  ;  bases  per- 
sistent for  years. 

Leaves. — Primary  leaves  are  often  borne  on  vigorous  shoots  start- 
ing from  an  injured  trunk.  Secondary  leaves  in  clusters  of  three, 
stout,  rigid,  dark  yellow  green,  three  to  five  inches  long  ;  fibro- 
vascular  bundles  two  ;  sheaths  one-half  to  one  inch  long. 

Flowers. — April,  May.  Staminate  flowers  clustered  on  the  stem, 
cylindrical,  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long  ;  anthers  yellow  with  nearly 
orbicular  entire  crests  ;  involucral  bracts  six  to  eight.  Pistillate 
flowers  lateral,  clustered  ;  scales  pale  green  tinged  with  rose,  acute, 
with  slender  tips  ;   peduncles  covered  with  dark  brown  bracts. 

454 


PITCH   PINE 


Pitch  Pine,  Piims  n'gida. 

Cones   i'  to  y  long. 


PINE    FAMILY 


Cones. — Ovoid-conical  or  ovate,  one  to  three  inches  long,  often 
clustered  ;  scales  thickened  at  apex,  the  transverse  ridge  acute, 
armed  with  short  recurved  prickles,  flat.  Often 
persist  on  the  branches  for  several  years.  Seeds 
nearly  triangular,  dark  brown  mottled  with  black  ; 
wings  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long,  broadest  below 
the  middle. 

The  Pitch  Pine  is,  perhaps,  the  most  virile  of 
the  genus  ;  it  certainly  flourishes  under  most 
adverse  conditions,  for  it  will  "  cling  like  a 
limpet  to  the  rocks,"  or  it  will  go  down  to  the 
barren  sands  of  the  sea-shore  and  cover  vast 
tracts  so  densely  that  the  moving  dunes  can 
move  no  more.  It  is  even  tolerant  of  a  salt 
sea  bath.  It  is  the  only  pine  that  can  send 
forth  shoots  after  injury  by  fire. 

Its  economic  value  is  not  great,  the  wood  is 
too  thoroughly  saturated  with  resin  to  be  val- 
uable as  lumber.  Its  value  is  chiefly  as  fuel. 
Tar  and  turpentine  can  be  obtained  from  it 
but  much  more  easily  and  of  better  quality 
from  the  southern  pines.  In  dense  woods  the 
Pitch  Pine,  p?K«5    i-j-m-jj^  grows  crcct  but  in  the  open  it  becomes 

rtgida.     Leaves  *^  * 

3'to5Mong.        tortuous,  angled  and  often  picturesque. 


JERSEY    PINE.      SCRUB    PINE 

Finns  virginihna.     Phiiis  inSps. 

Usually  thirty  or  forty  feet  high  with  a  short  trunk,  long  horizontal 
branches  in  remote  whorls  forming  a  broad  pyramidal  head.  Found 
on  light  sandy  soil  and  especially  in  Virginia  and  Maryland  on  ex- 
hausted lands.  In  Indiana  it  is  found  one  hundred  feet  high.  In 
Virginia  it  ascends  3,300  feet  above  the  sea. 

Bark. — Dark  brown  with  reddish  tinge,  divided  by  shallow  fissures 
into  flat  scaly  plates.  Branchlets  are  pale  green  and  glaucous  at 
first,  sometimes  with  purple  tinge,  finally  becoming  pale  gray 
brown. 

Wood. — Pale  orange,  sapwood  nearly  white  ;  light,  soft,  brittle, 
slightly  resinous.     Sp.  gr.,  0.5309;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  33.09  lbs. 

456 


JERSEY   PINE 


Jersey  Pine,  Pinus  virginiana. 

Leaves   i'  to  3'  long.     Cones  of  one,  two,  and  three  years'  growth. 


PINE    FAMILY 


J 

ersey 

Pine, 

Ptnus 

virgin- 

iana. 

Leaves 

1^' 

to     3^ 

long. 

Buds. — Branch-buds  ovate,  acute,  about  one-half 
an  inch  long,  covered  with  acute,  ovate,  brown  scales, 
leaving  their  thickened  base  as  they  fall. 

Leaves. — In  clusters  of  two,  stout,  bright  green, 
one  and  one-half  to  three  inches  long,  twisted,  soft, 
fragrant,  serrulate,  acute  with  callous  points  ;  fibro- 
vascular  bundles  two. 

Flowej-s. — April,  May.  St  am  in  ate  flowers  in 
crowded  clusters,  oblong,  one-third  of  an  inch  long  ; 
anthers  brownish  yellow  with  orbicular  denticulate 
crests  ;  involucral  bracts  eight.  Pistillate  flowers 
near  the  middle  of  the  shoot  of  the  year.  Sub- 
globose,  scales  pale  green,  ovate  with  long,  slender, 
reddish  tips  ;  scales  orbicular.  Peduncles  long, 
covered  with  brow^n  bracts. 

Cones. — Lateral,  oblong-conical,  more  or  less 
curved,  one  to  three  inches  long,  persistent  for  three 
or  four  years.  Scales  nearly  flat,  thickened  at  apex, 
armed  with  persistent  prickles.  Seeds  oval,  pale 
brown ;  wings  broadest  at  middle,  dark  brown, 
thin,  smooth,  one-third  of  an  inch  long. 


YELLOW   PINE.     SHORTLEAF   PINE. 
SPRUCE   PINE 

Fmns  echinhta. 


Usually  eighty  or  one  hundred  feet  high,  with  a  tall 
tapering  stem  and  a  short  pyramidal  head  of  slender 
branches.  Trunks  injured  by  fire  will  often  produce 
shoots  which  are  covered  with  lanceolate,  long- 
pointed,  gray  green  primary  leaves.  Ranges  in 
sandy  soil  from  southern  New  York  to  Florida  and 
west  to  Illinois,  Kansas  and  Texas.  Often  forms 
pure  forests.  A  valuable  timber  tree,  sometimes 
worked  for  turpentine.     Fruits  when  very  young. 

Bark. — Pale  reddish  browm,  irregularly  fissured, 
covered  with  small  appressed  scales.  Branchlets 
stout,  pale  green  or  purple,  glaucous,  later  become 
red  brown,  finally  dark  brown. 

Wood. — Orange  or  yellow  brown,  sapwood  nearly 
white  ;  varies  in  quality,  the  best  is  heavy,  hard, 
strong,  coarse-grained,  very  resinous.  Sp.  gr.,o.  6104; 
weight  of  cu.  ft.,  38.04  lbs. 

Leaves. — Borne    in    clusters    of    two,    or   pf  three, 


Yellow  Pine,  Pi- 
tins  echinata. 
Leaves  3'  to 
5'  long- 


45* 


YELLOW   PINE 


Yellow  Fine,   Finns  c'cbiiiata. 

Cones   1  y/  to  2.'  long. 


PINE    FAMILY 

rarely  of  four,  slender,  dark  blue  green,  serrulate,  acute,  with 
callous  tips,  soft,  three  to  five  inches  long  ;  fibro-vascular  bundles 
two.  Sheaths  thin,  silvery  white  at  first,  later  become  dark  grayish 
brown.     Persist  from  two  to  five  years. 

Flowers. — Staminate  flowers  in  short  crowded  clusters,  near  the 
tip  of  the  growing  shoots,  oblong-cylindrical,  three-quarters  of  an 
inch  long ;  anthers  pale  purple  with  orbicular,  slightly  denticulate 
crests  ;  involucral  bracts  eight  to  ten.  Pistillate  flowers  in  clusters 
of  two,  three  or  four,  subterminal,  oblong  or  subglobose,  one-third 
of  an  inch  long  ;  scales  ovate,  rose  pink,  with  slender  tips  ;  bracts 
nearly  orbicular. 

Cones. — Lateral,  very  abundant,  ovate  or  oblong-conical,  one  and 
a  half  to  two  and  a  half  inches  long,  persist  several  years.  Scales 
nearly  flat,  obtuse,  thickened  at  apex,  marked  with  a  prominent 
transverse  ridge,  armed  with  small,  slender,  nearly  straight,  de- 
ciduous prickles.  Seeds  triangular,  brown,  mottled  with  black  ; 
wings  broadest  at  the  middle,  thin,  pale  brown,  one-half  an  inch 
long. 

GRAY   PINE.     JACK    PINE.     SCRUB   PINE 

Plniis  divaricata. 


Frequently  seventy  feet  high  with  straight  branchless  trunk,  long 
spreading  branches  forming  an  open  symmetrical  head  ;  often  much 
shorter  and  sometimes  shrubby.  Fruits  when  very  young.  A  north- 
ern tree,  ranging  from  Nova  Scotia  southward  to  Maine,  New  Hamp- 
shire, and  Vermont,  westward  to  northern  Indiana  and  Illinois,  and 
in  the  northwest  to  the  valley  of  the  Mackenzie  River,  where  it  is 

the   only   pine   tree.     In  sandy  soil,  sometimes 

forming  exclusive  forests. 

Bark. — Dark  brown  with  reddish  tinge,  with 
shallow  rounded  ridges  separating  into  small  ap- 
pressed  scales.  Branchlets  slender,  tough,  flex- 
ible, pale  yellow  green,  becoming  dark  reddish 
purple  and  later  dark  purplish  brown. 

Wood. — Pale  brown,  rarely  yellow,  sapwood 
nearly  white  ;  light,  soft,  not  strong,  close- 
grained.  Used  for  fuel,  railway  ties,  and  posts. 
Indians  prefer  it  for  frames  of  canoes. 

Bjids. — Branch-buds  ovate  with  rounded  apex, 
terminal  bud  one-fourth  of  an  inch  long,  as  long 
again  as  the  lateral  buds.  Covered  with  ovate- 
lanceolate  pale  brown  scales  with  spreading  tips,  whose  bases 
persist  after  the  body  of  the  scale  has  fallen  and  roughen  the 
branch. 


Gray  Pine,  Piniis  di- 
varicata. Leaves 
i'  to  2}^'  long. 


460 


GRAY  PINE 


Gray  Pine,  Pinus  divaricata. 

Cones  ij4'  to  2.'  long. 


PINE    FAMILY 

Leaves. — In  clusters  of  two,  three-fourths  to  two  and  one-half 
inches  long,  stout,  curved,  divergent,  dark  grayish  green,  serrulate, 
acute  with  short  callous  point,  persistent  until  second  or  third  year  ; 
fibro-vascular  bundles  two.  Sheaths  short,  loose,  pale  brown  and 
silvery  white. 

Flowers. — April,  May.  Staminate  flowers  in  crowded  clusters, 
about  an  inch  and  a  half  in  length  ;  oblong,  one-half  inch  long  ;  an- 
thers yellow  ;  crests  orbicular,  slightly  denticulate  ;  involucral  bracts 
six  to  eight.  Pistillate  flowers  borne  in  clusters  of  two  to  four  on 
the  terminal  shoot,  subglobose  ;  scales  dark  purple,  ovate  with  short 
incurved  tips.  Peduncles  stout,  short,  covered  with  large,  brown, 
ovate  bracts. 

Cones. — Lateral,  one  and  one-half  to  two  inches  long,  oblong- 
conical,  oblique,  incurved.  Scales  thin,  stiff,  thickened  at  apex  and 
armed  with  small  incurved  often  deciduous  prickles.  Persist  for 
many  years.  Seeds  nearly  triangular,  almost  black  ;  wings  pale, 
shining,  one-third  of  an  inch  long.     Cotyledons  four  to  five. 

The  Gray  Pine  is  the  Scrub  Pine  of  northern  latitudes.  In 
good  soil  it  makes  a  fair  tree,  but  in  barren  soils  one  finds 
miles  and  miles  of  scrub.  The  leaf  is  bluish  green  covered 
with  so  marked  a  gray  bloom  that  the  foliage  mass  is  posi- 
tively gray.  The  leaves  are  in  clusters  of  two,  short,  re- 
curved, and  divergent.  The  staminate  flowers  are  greenish 
yellow,  more  conspicuous  than  those  of  the  White  Pine,  not 
so  large  as  those  of  the  Red  Pine,  and  for  the  few  days  they 
are  in  bloom  the  tree  is  noticeable.  Cones  are  small,  twisted, 
and  look  not  fully  developed  for  they  do  not  open  evenly. 
They  are  light  gray  ;  sometimes  they  shine  almost  silvery 
out  of  the  grayish  mass  of  foliage. 


AUSTRIAN   PINE 

Pimis  laricio  aiistnaca. 

The  Austrian  Pine  is  extensively  planted  throughout  the 
north  in  parks  and  lawns.  The  tree  is  native  to  the  moun- 
tains of  eastern  Europe,  and  there  reaches  the  height  of  one 
hundred  and  twenty  feet.  It  bears  our  climate  well,  endures 
extremes  of  both  heat  and  cold,  will  flourish  in  any  fair  soil, 
and  always  has   a  strong  healthy  look.     Its  leaves  are  not 

462 


AUSTRIAN   PINE 


Auslrian  Pine,  Pnin^  attstnaca. 
Cones  2'  to  y  long. 


PINE    FAMILY 

unlike  those  of  the  Red  Pine,  they  are  from  three  to  five 
inches  long  borne  in  clusters  of  two,  are  a  bright  dark  green, 
and  appear  tufted  on  the  branches.  The  cones  are  very  like 
those  of  the  Red  Pine,  ovate,  two  to  three  inches  long,  and 
the  scales  are  destitute  of  prickles. 

SCOTCH   PINE;     SCOTCH   FIR 

Phius  sylvcstris. 

The  Scotch  Pine  or  Fir  as  it  is  called  in  England  is  perfectly 
hardy  throughout  the  north,  where  it  is  planted  both  as  an 
ornamental  tree  in  parks  and  as  a  windbreak  on  the  prairies. 
It  is  a  tree  of  wide  distribution  throughout  Europe  and  Asia, 
and  is  in  fact,  the  principal  timber  pine  of  the  eastern  con- 
tinent. But  in  the  United  States  though  beautiful  when 
young,  it  is  not  long-lived,  and  succumbs  to  disease  and  in- 
sect enemies  at  the  age  of  thirty  or  forty  years. 

The  leaves  are  in  clusters  of  two,  an  inch  and  a  half  to  two 
and  a  half  in  length,  stout,  rigid,  slightly  twisted,  bluish  or 
grayish  green.  The  cones  are  ovate,  from  an  inch  to  an  inch 
and  a  quarter  long  and  abundant  on  the  tree. 

WHITE   SPRUCE 

Plcea  canadSisis.     Ptcea  alba. 

A  slender,  conical,  evergreen  tree,  usually  sixty  to  seventy  feet 
high,  its  greatest  height  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet.  Resinous  ;  foli- 
age ill-smelling.  Ranges  from  Newfoundland  to  Hudson  Bay  and 
Alaska,  southward  to  Maine,  New  York,  and  Michigan,  west  to 
South  Dakota,  Montana,  and  British  Columbia. 

Bark. — Light  grayish  brown,  separates  into  thin  plate-like  scales. 
Branchlets  at  first  stout,  pale  gray  green,  smooth,  during  first  winter 
orange  brown,  later  become  dark  grayish  brown. 

Wood. — Light  yellow  ;  light,  soft,  weak,  straight-grained,  satiny 
surface.  Used  for  construction,  interior  finish  of  houses,  and  wood 
pulp. 

Winter  Buds. — Light  chestnut  brown,  ovate,  obtuse,  one-eighth  to 
one-fourth  of  an  inch  long.     Branch-buds  usually  three. 

464 


SCOTCH  pr  n 


Scotch  Fine,  Pinns  svlvcstris. 

Cones   i'  to   \\i'  long. 


PINE    FAMILY 

Leaves. — Spirally  disposed,  but  crowded  on  the  upper  side  of  the 
branches  by  the  twisting  of  those  on  the  lower  ;  they  point  forward 
especially  near  the  extremities  of  the  branchlets.  Linear,  four- 
sided,  jointed  at  the  base  to  short  persistent  sterigmata,  incurved, 
acute  or  acuminate  at  apex,  with  a  rigid  callous  tip.  Pale  bluish- 
green,  hoary  at  first,  becoming  dark  blue  green  at  maturity,  one- 
third  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long. 

Flowers. — April,  May.  Monoecious.  Staminate  flowers  oblong- 
cylindrical,  axillary,  one-half  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long,  pedicels 
half  an  inch  long  ;  anthers  pale  red,  becoming  yellow  from  abun- 
dance of  pollen.  Pistillate  flowers  oblong-cylindrical  ;  scales  broad, 
pale  red  or  yellow  green ;  bracts  nearly  orbicular,  denticulate. 
Ovules  two,  naked  upon  the  base  of  each  scale. 

Cones. — Oblong-cylindrical,  slender,  narrowed  at  each  end,  about 
two  inches  long;  scales  nearly  orbicular,  obscurely  striate,  margins 
entire,  pale  brown,  thin,  lustrous,  falling  in  autumn  or  early  winter. 
Seeds  pale  brown  ;  wings  narrow,  oblique  at  apex. 


Three  spruces  are  found  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  the 
White,  the  Black  and  the  Red.  All  are  trees  of  a  northern 
range  belonging  to  regions  of  short  summers  and  long  win- 
ters, or  in  a  southern  latitude  they  seek  high  elevations.  They 
are  evergreen,  cone-like  trees  with  slender  spiry  tops,  tall 
tapering  trunks,  and  slender,  whorled,  horizontal  branches 
with  branchlets  twice  and  three  times  divided,  and  in  old 
trees  pendent.  The  spiry  tops  of  the  spruces  outlined  against 
the  sky  is  one  of  the  characteristics  of  a  northern  landscape. 

They  differ  from  the  pines  in  that  their  leaves  are  much 
shorter  and  placed  singly  upon  the  branches  instead  of  being 
clustered  in  groups.  The  arrangement  of  the  leaves  is  char- 
acteristic. They  are  set  thickly  on  all  sides  of  the  branches. 
They  are  borne  upon  short,  rhombic,  woody  bases  called 
sterigmata,  and  falling  when  dry,  they  leave  the  bare  twigs 
covered  with  low  truncate  projections. 

The  AVhite  Spruce  attains  the  greatest  height  of  any  of 
the  spruces,  sometimes  reaching  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet, 
with  a  trunk  three  feet  in  diameter.  In  the  northwest  it 
touches  the  shore  of  the  Arctic  ocean  and  on  the  Atlantic 
coast  it  extends  down  to  southern  Maine  ;  often  growing  so 
close  to  the  shore  that  it  is  bathed  in  the  spray  of  the  ocean. 
The  foliage  of  the  White  Spruce  is  rich  and  beautiful  but  its 


WHITE    SPRUCE 


Sprays  of  White  Spruce,  Ptcea  canadensis. 

Cones   1^'  to  2.'  long. 


PINE  FAMILY 

odor  is  rather  unpleasant  and  this  alone  will  often  suffice  to 
distinguish  it  from  the  Black  Spruce.  No  other  spruce  grows 
more  luxuriantly  or  is  more  ornamental  in  parks  and  lawns 
while  in  the  vigor  of  youth,  but  as  it  becomes  older  it  finds 
the  mild  climate  of  the  northern  states  uncongenial  and  soon 
perishes  or  lives  on  in  unsightly  decrepitude.  Resin  exudes 
from  cuts  and  gashes  and  hardens  into  a  white  gum. 

RED  SPRUCE 

Plcca  rubcns. 

A  conical  evergreen  tree  usually  seventy  to  eighty  feet  high,  occa- 
sionally one  hundred  feet,  and  upon  its  northern  limit  becoming  a 
semi-prostrate  shrub.  Ranges  from  Nova  Scotia  to  North  Carolina 
and  Tennessee.     Grows  slowly  ;  roots  thick  ;  resinous. 

Bark. — Reddish  brown  broken  into  thin  irregular  scales.  Branch- 
lets  at  first  stout,  pale  green,  pubescent,  later  become  bright  reddish- 
brown  or  orange  brown,  finally  becoming  dark  and  scaly. 

Wood. — Pale,  slightly  tinged  with  red,  sapwood  paler;  light,  soft 
close-grained,  with  satiny  surface.  Used  in  construction  and  in 
production  of  wood  pulp,  also  for  sounding  boards  of  musical  in- 
struments.    Sp.  gr.,  0.4516;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  28.13  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Pale  reddish  brown,  ovate,  acute,  one-fourth  to 
one-third  of  an  inch  long. 

Leaves. — Linear,  four-sided,  tipped  at  apex  with  callous  point, 
pale  bluish  green  at  first,  dark  shining  green  when  mature  ;  midrib 
prominent  ;  one-half  to  five-eighths  of  an  inch  long  ;  they  stand  out 
from  all  sides  of  the  branch,  point  forward,  and  are  more  or  less  in- 
curved ;  jointed  at  the  base  to  short,  persistent  sterigmata. 

Flowers. — April,  May.  Monoecious.  Staminate  flowers  oval, 
almost  sessile,  one-half  inch  long  ;  anther  crests  bright  red,  toothed. 
Pistillate  flowers,  oblong,  cylindrical,  three-quarters  of  an  inch  long. 
Scales  rounded,  thin,  erose  at  margin  ;  bracts  rounded  and  lacini- 
ate  ;  ovules  two,  naked  on  base  of  scale. 

Cones. — Ovate-oblong,  light  reddish  brown,  shining,  apex  gradu- 
ally acute,  one  and  one-quarter  to  two  inches  long.  Scales  rounded, 
entire  or  slightly  toothed,  striate.  Seeds  dark  brown  ;  wings  short 
and  broad. 

The  Red  Spruce  was  for  many  years  confounded  with  the 
Black  Spruce  ;  Professor  Sargent  draws  a  wide  distinction 
between  them. 

468 


RED   SPRUCE 


Fruiting  Spray  of  Red  Spruce,  Ftcea  nibens. 

Leaves   \\i'  to  2'  long. 


PINE  FAMILY 

The  cones  of  the  Red  Spruce  are  large  and  fall  during  the 
first  winter.  Those  of  the  Black  Spruce  are  persistent  for 
many  years.  Resinous  exudations  both  of  Red  and  Black 
Spruce  are  used  as  chewing  gums  ;  and  the  branches  of  both 
are  used  in  the  domestic  manufacture  of  beer. 

Black  Spruce  is  a  tree  of  the  far  north  existing  but  preca- 
riously south  of  the  northern  border  of  the  United  States, 
while  the  Red  Spruce  is  an  Appalachian  tree  attaining  its 
greatest  dimensions  in  northern  New  Hampshire  and  Penn- 
sylvania. 

BLACK  SPRUCE. 

Ptcea  marimia.     Picca  nigra. 

An  evergreen  conical  tree,  maximum  height  one  hundred  feet, 
ordinary  height  fifty  to  eighty  ;  at  the  extreme  north  it  dwarfs  to  a 
shrub.  Branches  slender,  usually  pendulous  with  upward  curve 
forming  an  open  and  irregular  head.  Prefers  a  hilly  and  mountain- 
ous region  with  an  altitude  of  1,200  to  2,000  feet,  but  is  also  found 
in  low  swampy  valleys.  Resinous.  Roots  thick,  wide  spreading 
near  the  surface,  rootlets  long,  flexible,  tough.  Ranges  from  New- 
foundland to  Hudson  Bay  and  the  Mackenzie  River  ;  southward  in 
Michigan,  Wisconsin,  Minnesota. 

Bark. — Covered  with  thin,  appressed,  grayish  brown  scales. 
Branchlets  at  first  pale  green,  pubescent,  later  they  become  cinna- 
mon brown,  finally  dark  brown.     Bark  has  no  commercial  value. 

Wood. — Pale,  often  with  reddish  tinge,  sapwood  pure  white  ;  light, 
soft,  weak.  Used  for  wood  pulp  and  house  building,  sounding- 
boards  for  pianos  ;  fuel  value  slight.  Sp.  gr.,  0.5272  ;  weight  of  cu. 
ft.,  32.86  lbs. 

Wintc7'  Buds. — Branch  buds  usually  three,  light  reddish-brown, 
ovate,  one-eighth  of  an  inch  long. 

Leaves. — Spirally  disposed,  thickly  set  and  spreading  in  all  direc- 
tions ;  jointed  at  the  base  to  short,  persistent,  pubescent  sterigmata 
on  which  they  are  sessile  ;  falling  away  in  drying,  the  bare  twigs 
appear  covered  with  low  truncate  projections.  Linear,  one-fourth 
to  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long,  four-sided  ;  ribbed  above  and 
below,  abruptly  contracted  at  apex  into  a  callous  tip,  slightly  in- 
curved above  the  middle.  Pale  blue  green  at  first,  dark  bluish- 
green  at  maturity,  hoary  on  lower  surface,  lustrous  on  the  upper. 
Persistent  for  several  years. 

470 


BLACK   SPRUCE 


Fruitint;  Spray  of  Black  Spruce,  Picea  manaua' 

Cones  i'  to  ij.^'  'onf?- 


PINE  FAMILY 

Flowers. — May,  June  ;  monoecious.  Staminate  flowers  one-eighth 
inch  long,  in  subglobose  axillary  aments  ;  anthers  dark  red  with 
nearly  circular,  toothed  crests.  Pistillate  aments  oblong-cylindrical 
with  obovate  purple  scales  ;  bracts  purple  ;  ovules  two,  naked  on  the 
base  of  each  scale. 

Cones. — Terminal  on  short  branches,  pale  yellow  brown,  oval  or 
ovate  ;  one  to  one  and  one-half  inches  long  ;  incurved  at  base,  dis- 
charging their  seeds  slowly,  and  persistent  for  several  years.  Scales 
ridged,  rounded  at  apex,  margins  pale,  erose,  or  jagged.  Seeds 
small,  wings  pale  brown,  shining,  one -half  inch  long. 


The  Black  Spruce  is  essentially  a  Canadian  tree  growing 
abundantly  in  the  Labrador  peninsula  and  forming  great 
forests  in  Manitoba.  Comparatively  rare  in  the  United 
States,  it  is  found  principally  along  the  northern  border  of 
New  England  and  New  York  and  most  abundantly  on  the 
lake-shores  in  Minnesota,  Wisconsin,  and  Michigan.  It  has 
very  little  beauty  except  when  young.  Then  the  branches 
form  a  most  regular  and  symmetrical  outline,  but  as  age 
comes  on  it  loses  its  youthful  vigor  and  beauty  and  be- 
comes prematurely  old,  misshapen,  and  unsightly.  In  the 
forest  all  the  lower  branches  fall  off  leaving  a  columnar 
shaft  which  is  crowned  by  a  small  open  irregular  head. 

The  Black  Spruce  derives  its  name  from  the  dark  green 
of  its  foliage  which  when  massed  upon  a  mountain-side  and 
in  shadow  is  of  so  sombre  a  hue  as  to  appear  black  rather 
than  green.  The  name  is  given  in  distinction  from  the  White 
Spruce  whose  leaves  are  of  a  paler  color.  In  the  early 
botanies  the  Black  and  the  White  Spruce  were  designated  re- 
spectively as  double  and  single  spruce,  for  reasons  which  are 
not  apparent,  as  the  disposition  of  the  leaves  of  each  is  the 
same.  In  fact,  these  two  species  bear  such  resemblance  to 
each  other  that  it  is  not  always  easy  to  distinguish  them  ; 
the  cones  furnish  the  principal  distinctive  feature  when  the 
flowering  season  is  past.  The  cones  of  the  Black  Spruce  are 
ovate-oblong,  have  great  staying  powers,  are  always  on  the 
trees  at  the  flowering  time  and  usually  persist  for  several 
years.  The  cones  of  the  White  Spruce  on  the  other  hand 
are  oblong  or  cylindrical  and  usually  fall  before  the  flower- 

472 


BLACK  SPRUCE 

ing  time  or  during  tiie  heat  of  the  second  summer.  The 
young  leaves  of  the  White  Spruce  are  visible  at  flower- 
ing time,  those  of  the  Black  Spruce  are  not.  Resin  flows 
freely  from  cuts  and  gashes  and  soon  hardens  into  a  thick 
white  gum,  which  with  slight  preparation  is  sold  as  chewing 
gum.     The  odor  of  the  leaves  is  pleasantly  resinous  aromatic. 

A  favorite  domestic  drink  called  Spruce  Beer  was  formerly 
made  by  boiling  the  young  branches  in  water  and  adding 
to  the  decoction  molasses  and  yeast  in  certain  fixed  propor- 
tions, but  its  place  has  now  been  taken  by  other  drinks. 

One  of  the  chief  values  of  the  wood  is  in  the  manufacture  of 
wood  pulp.  The  characteristics  of  good  pulp  wood  are  :  long 
fibre  to  insure  strength  and  felting  property,  light  color  to 
save  bleaching,  soft  texture  that  it  may  be  easily  ground, 
and  freedom  from  foreign  matter  such  as  resin,  starch,  and 
coloring  material. 

The  wood  of  all  the  Cojiiferce  is  rich  in  those  long  coarse 
fibres  known  as  tracheids  and  contains  relatively  very  few 
short  cells  ;  consequently  all  are  valuable  as  pulp  woods  unless 
they  are  more  valuable  for  something  else. 

The  Black  Spruces  of  the  Adirondacks  fell  victims  a  few 
years  ago  to  a  blight  which  destroyed  one-half  of  the  mature 
trees  of  the  region.  Expert  investigation  proved  the  cause 
of  this  destruction  to  be  the  work  of  a  small  beetle.  The  in- 
sects excavated  a  passage  between  the  bark  and  the  wood, 
eating  away  part  of  both  and  practically  girdling  the  tree. 


NORWAY  SPRUCE 

Plcea  excc'lsa. 

This  is  a  native  of  the  northern  part  of  Europe  as  its  name 
denotes  and  consequently  is  hardy  in  the  northern  states.  It 
is  the  most  satisfactory  spruce  tree  that  can  be  planted  in 
northern  Ohio.  It  is  a  beautiful  spiry-topped  tree  ;  the 
branches  sweep  downward  with  a  graceful  curve  and  the 
branchlets,  after  the  tree  reaches  the  height  of  thirty  feet  or 

473 


PINE  FAMILY 

more,  become  pendulous.  The  cones  are  from  four  to  six 
inches  long,  beautifully  pendent  from  the  tips  of  the  branches. 
Take  it,  all  in  all,  it  is  a  very  desirable  tree,  for  ornament  for 
hedge  or  for  wind-break. 

The  Norway  Spruce  is  the  great  tree  of  the  Alps.  It  there 
reaches  the  height  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet,  forms  exten- 
sive forests,  endures  severe  cold  and  reaches  the  elevation 
of  4,500  feet  above  the  sea.  Its  wood  is  the  white  deal  of 
Europe  ;  its  resin.  Burgundy  pitch. 


HEMLOCK 

Tsuga  canadensis. 

A  conical  evergreen  tree,  usually  sixty  or  seventy  feet  high,  maxi- 
mum height  one  hundred  feet.  Loves  steep  rocky  banks  and  narrow 
river  gorges,  often  found  on  mountain  sides.  Bark  rich  in  tannin. 
Grows  slowly.  Ranges  from  Nova  Scotia  to  Minnesota  and  through 
Michigan  and  Wisconsin,  southward  to  Georgia  and  Alabama, 
reaches  its  largest  size  on  the  mountains  of  North  Carolina  and  Ten- 
nessee. 

Bark. — Reddish  brown  or  gray,  deeply  divided  into  ridges  cov- 
ered with  closely  appressed  scales.  Branchlets  at  first  pale  brown, 
pubescent,  later  become  darker,  finally  dark  gray  brown  with  purple 
tinge. 

Wood. — Light  brown  or  white  ;  light,  soft,  brittle,  coarse,  crooked- 
grained,  difficult  to  work,  liable  to  splinter.  Makes  coarse  lumber. 
Sp.  gr.,  0.4239  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  26.42  Jbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Light  brown,  obtuse,  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  long. 

Leaves. — Linear,  flat,  obtuse,  rounded  or  emarginate  at  apex,  en- 
tire or  obscurely  toothed  above  the  middle,  dark  yellow  green,  shin- 
ing above,  hoary  beneath,  spirally  arranged  around  the  branch  but 
appearing  two-ranked  iDy  the  twisting  of  their  petioles,  jointed  to  a 
very  short  sterigmata  and  falling  away  in  drying.  One-half  to  three- 
fourths  of  an  inch  long.     Petiole  short. 

Flowers — April,  May.  Monoecious.  Staminate  flowers  axillary, 
sub-globose,  borne  on  slender  stems,  about  three-eighths  of  an  inch 
long  ;  anthers  pale  yellow,  pistillate  flowers  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
long,  pale  green.     Scales  short  ;  bracts  broad,  laciniate. 

Cones. — Bright  red  brown,  suspended  on  short  peduncles,  ovate — 
oblong,  acute,  three-fourths  to  one  inch  long.  Remain  on  branches 
until  spring.     Seeds  small  ■  wings  short,  broad. 

474 


NORWAY    SPRUCE 


Fruiting-  Spray  of  Norway  Spruce,  Picea  excelsa. 

Cones  4'  to  b'  long. 


PINE  FAMILY 

The  Hemlock  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the  cone 
bearing  trees  ;  and  although  similar  in  general  form  to  the 
spruces,  rigidity  has  transformed  itself  into  ease  and  formality 
into  grace  and  beauty.  The  branches  are  slender  and  pliant, 
heavily  clothed  with  foliage,  drooping  in  habit  and  the  lower 
sweep  the  ground.  As  the  tree  becomes  older  they  become 
large  and  strong  and  stand  out  horizontally.  The  difference 
between  youth  and  age  is  marked.  The  wood  is  not  valuable, 
it  has  neither  strength  nor  durability,  but  the  bark  is  exten- 
sively used  in  tanning  and  is  the  chief  commercial  product  of 
the  tree. 

TAMARACK.     LARCH.     HACMATACK 

Larix  laricina.     Larix  a/?iericaiia. 

Fifty  to  sixty  feet  high,  trunk  eighteen  to  twenty  inches  in  diam- 
eter, when  young  it  forms  a  narrow  pyramidal  head  and  this  con- 
tinues in  the  forest,  but  in  the  open  it  loses  its  regular  form  and 
develops  a  broad,  open,  irregular  and  often  picturesque  head.  It 
ranges  northward  to  the  arctic  circle  and  its  southern  limit  seems  to 
be  along  the  line  of  northern  Pennsylvania,  northern  Indiana,  north- 
ern Illinois,  and  central  Minnesota.  Prefers  cold,  deep  swamps  but 
is  occasionally  found  on  dry  land. 

Bark. — Bright  reddish  brown,  separating  into  thin  appressed  scales. 
Branchlets  pendulous,  the  young  branches  are  green,  smooth,  and 
glaucous,  later  light  orange  brown,  gradually  they  become  darker 
and  at  last  are  dark  brown. 

IVood. — Light  brown,  very  resinous,  sapwood  nearly  white  ;  heavy, 
hard,  strong,  rather  coarse-grained,  durable  in  contact  with  the  soil. 
Used  for  ship-timbers,  fence  posts,  telegraph  poles,  and  railway  ties. 
Sp.  gr.,  0.6236  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  38.86  lbs. 

Winter  Buds. — Dark  red,  globose,  lustrous,  small. 

Zt'«7/<?j.— Needle-shaped,  rounded  above  keeled  below,  three- 
fourths  to  one  and  one-fourth  inches  long,  at  first  bright  green, 
later  dark  green.  They  turn  pale  yellow  and  fall  in  October.  They 
are  borne,  either  scattered  on  leading  shoots,  or  in  crowded  fascicles 
on  short  lateral  branchlets,  each  leaf  in  the  axil  of  a  minute,  decid- 
uous bud  scale. 

Flowers. — May,  with  the  leaves.  Monoecious.  Staminate  flowers 
subglobose,  sessile,  usually  borne  on  branchlets  one  or  two  years 
old ;    composed    of  many  short-stalked    anthers    spirally    arranged 

476 


HEMLOCK 


Fruiting  Branch  of  Hemlock,   Tsnga  canadcnis 

Leaves  Yz'  to  ^'  long.     Cones  ^,^'  to   \'  long. 


PINE  FAMILY 

about  a  central  axis  ;  anthers  subglobose,  pale  yellow,  two-celled; 
connective  pointed.  Pistillate  flowers  oblong,  pedunculate  ;  com- 
posed of  many  orbicular  rose  red  scales  spirally  arranged  about  a 
central  axis  ;  each  scale  in  the  axil  of  a  pale  rose  colored  bract  with 
a  long  green  tip.     Upon  each  scale  lie  two  naked  ovules. 

Cones. — Bright  chestnut  brown,  oblong,  obtuse,  one-half  to  three- 
fourths  of  an  inch  long  and  borne  on  a  short,  stout,  incurved  stem. 
Scales  about  twenty,  the  largest  near  the  middle,  the  smaller  at  base 
and  apex.  Cone  falls  during  second  year.  Seed  one-eighth  of  an 
inch  long,  pale,  with  pale  brown  wings  broadest  in  the  middle. 

"  Give  me  of  your  roots,  O  Tamarack! 
Of  your  fibrous  roots,  O  Larch-Tree! 
My  canoe  to  bind  together 
So  to  bind  the  ends  together 
That  the  water  may  not  enter 
That  the  water  may  not  wet  me." 

— Henry  W.  Longfellow. 

One  feature  distinguishes  the  Tamarack  from  the  other 
northern  conifers,  it  sheds  its  leaves  in  the  autumn  of  the 
year  in  which  they  are  produced  ;  they  turn  a  dull  yellow  and 
fall  as  do  those  of  the  poplar  and  the  maple.  This  is  a  tree 
of  the  swamps  and  it  serves  a  very  valuable  purpose  in  the 
economy  of  nature.  When  in  those  northern  lands  where 
it  makes  its  home,  a  small  lake  has  silted  up  from  the  sur- 
rounding country  and  so  far  dried  that  the  rushes  disappear 
from  the  margin  and  a  coating  of  soil  covers  it ;  the  Tamarack 
creeps  down  and  takes  possession  and  the  result  is  a  Tama- 
rack swamp.  It  is  often  possible  to  push  a  pole  down  ten 
feet  into  the  mud  about  the  roots  of  the  trees  of  such  a 
swamp.  The  roots  developed  there,  long,  tough,  stringy  are 
those  Hiawatha  needed  for  his  canoe,  those  growing  in  dryer 
soil  are  not  so  flexible.  The  Tamarack  will  go  up  the  hill- 
side, it  can  live  on  dry  land,  but  it  loves  the  swamp  and  will- 
ingly yields  the  hillside  to  the  spruces.  In  summer  a  Tama- 
rack swamp  is  dark,  cool,  mosfy  ;  in  winter  the  appearance  is 
somewhat  desolate  because  the  leaves  are  gone  and  one  in- 
stinctively thinks  of  a  leafless  conifer  as  a  dead  tree. 

The  Tamarack  and  the  Black  Spruce  go  side  by  side  tow- 
ard the  North  Pole  ;  but  at  the  ultimate  boundary,  at  the  very 

478 


TAMARACK 


Fruitin^^  Spray  of  Tamarack,  Larix  laricina. 

Leaves  Y^'  to  i\i'  long.     Cones  J^'  to  y^'  long. 


PINE  FAMILY 

edge  of  the  treeless  plain,  the  Tamarack  is  found  standing  a 
tiny  tree,  when  its  companion  the  Black  Spruce  is  clinging  to 
the  ground,  like  a  creeping  plant,  to  escape  being  torn  away 
by  the  force  of  the  winds. 

THE  LARCH. 

Larix  europcBa. 

The  Larch  which  is  extensively  planted  in  parks  and  lawns 
is  not  the  American  species  but  the  European.  The  Euro- 
pean Larch  is  the  finer  tree  in  general  appearance  and  as  it 
naturally  prefers  loose  well  drained  soil  it  flourishes  where 
our  native  species  would  die.  The  leaves  are  longer,  they 
clothe  the  branches  more  generously  than  those  of  the  Amer- 
ican species,  .the  cones  are  larger  and  more  abundant.  It  is 
a  tree  of  the  mid-temperate  regions  as  well  as  of  the  north 
and  is  found  in  all  the  hill  country  of  central  Europe  and 
forms  large  forests  in  the  Alps  of  France  and  Switzerland. 

BALSAM  FIR.     BALSAM. 

Abies  balsa mca. 

A  conical  evergreen  tree,  usually  fifty  to  sixty  feet  in  height,  with 
trunk  twelve  to  eighteen  inches  in  diameter.  On  mountain  tops  and 
arctic  regions  reduced  to  a  prostrate  shrub.  Northernmost  limit 
yet  observed  is  62°  ;  upon  the  Appalachians  it  ranges  to  southwest- 
ern Virginia.  Loves  moist  alluvial  land.  Grows  rapidly,  is  short- 
lived.    Resinous. 

Bark. — On  young  trees  pale  gray,  thin,  smooth  and  marked  by 
swollen  blisters  filled  with  resin.  On  old  trees  reddish  brown, 
broken  into  small,  irregular,  scaly  plates.  Branchlets  pale  yellow 
green,  pubescent,  later  they  become  pale  gray  with  reddish  tinge, 
finally  reddish  brown. 

Wood. — Pale  brown  often  streaked  with  yellow,  sapwood  paler ; 
light,  soft,  weak.  Coarse-grained,  not  durable.  Used  for  cheap 
lumber.     Sp.  gr.,  0.3819  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  23.80  lbs. 

Winter  Biids. — Greenish  brown,  tinged  with  red,  globose,  very 
resinous. 

480 


LARCH 


Fruiting  Branch  of  Larch,  Larix  enropcea. 


PINE  FAMILY 

Leaves. — Linear,  on  young  trees  spreading  at  nearly  right  angles 
to  the  branch,  remote  or  crowded.  On  old  trees  crowded,  covering 
the  upper  side  of  branches.  Dark  green  and  shining  above,  pale 
below  ;  obtusely  short-pointed  and  occasionally  emarginate,  and  on 
fertile  branches  acute  or  acuminate  ;  vary  from  one-half  to  one  and 
one-quarter  of  an  inch  in  length  and  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch  wide. 
Persistent  eight  to  ten  years.     Fragrant. 

Floiuers. — May,  June.  Monoecious.  Staminate  flowers  oblong- 
cylindrical,  one-quarter  of  an  inch  long.  Anthers  yellow,  tinged 
with  purple.  Pistillate  flowers  oblong-cylindrical,  one  inch  long  ; 
scales  orbicular,  purple  ;  bracts  oblong-obovate,  serrulate,  yellow 
green,  contracted  into  long  slender  tips. 

Cones. — Oblong-cylindrical,  narrowed  to  the  rounded  apex,  dark 
purple  two  to  four  inches  long,  three-quarters  to  one  and  one- 
quarter  inches  thick,  upright  ;  scales  broad,  rounded  ;  bracts  ob- 
long, serrulate,  mucronate  at  the  apex,  shorter  or  equal  to  the  scales. 

The  Balsam  Fir  carries  its  resin,  not  scattered  through  the 
wood  and  under  the  bark  as  do  the  pines,  flowing  freely  with 
gashes,  but  in  superficial  blisters  in  the  bark  itself.  So 
characteristic  is  this  that  the  New  York  Indians  name  the 
tree,  Cho-koh-tung — "  Blisters." 

Whoever  played  as  a  child  in  northern  woods  remembers 
with  what  delight  he  punctured  these  blisters  in  order  to  see 
the  clean  limpid  stream  of  resin  flow  out.  As  it  comes  from 
the  tree  it  has  the  consistency  of  glycerine.  Under  the  name 
of  Canada  Balsam  it  has  been  used  in  the  Materia  medica  and 
it  is  the  medium  in  which  microscopic  specimens  are  pre- 
served upon  the  plates. 

In  form  the  Balsam  Fir  resembles  the  spruces.  When 
young  it  is  extremely  beautiful,  a  slender  symmetrical  cone  of 
shining,  dark  green  foliage.  In  the  forest  the  lower  branches 
die  but  when  the  tree  attains  old  age  in  the  open,  the  head 
becomes  sharp-pointed  and  spire-like,  the  lower  limbs  become 
pendulous  sweeping  the  ground. 

The  leaves  are  flat,  shining  green  above,  a  beautiful  sil- 
very color  beneath,  and  very  fragrant  in  drying.  They  are 
arranged  spirally  around  the  branch,  but  appear  two-ranked 
because  of  a  twist  near  the  base  ;  occasionally  they  spread 
from  all  sides  of  the  branch,  this  is  especially  true  on  the 
upper  branches. 

482 


BALSAM    FIR 


Balsam  Fir,  Abivs  bahanica. 

Leaves  }^'  to   \\i'  long. 


PINE    FAMILY 

The  boughs  of  the  Balsam  Fir  are  sought  by  the  northern 
hunter,  fisherman,  or  tourist  to  make  his  wildwood  bed.  They 
possess  an  elastic  quality  which  fits  them  for  the  purpose. 
The  dried  leaves  are  the  material  of  which  the  much  prized 
fir  pillows  are  made. 

The  cones  are  produced  in  great  numbers,  they  sit  erect 
in  rows  on  the  upper  side  of  the  branches,  are  two  to  four 
inches  long,  an  inch  or  more  thick,  cylindrical,  with  rounded 
ends.  Bluish  purple  when  young,  they  are  often  so  abundant 
on  the  upper  branches  that  they  give  a  soft  purple  haze  to 
the  top  of  the  tree. 

In  appearance  the  Balsam  Fir  resembles  the  Silver  Fir  of 
Europe  which  is  a  much  finer  tree. 

BALD  CYPRESS.  DECIDUOUS  CYPRESS 

Taxbdium  distich u m . 

The  Bald  Cypress  is  a  southern  tree  growing  in  swamps 
and  beside  rivers,  ranging  from  Delaware  to  Florida  along 
the  coast  and  in  the  Mississippi  valley,  growing  as  far  north 
as  southern  Indiana.  It  is  frequently  planted  in  the  parks 
and  lawns  of  northern  Ohio  where  it  is  perfectly  hardy  and 
becomes  a  tall,  slender,  spiry  tree.  Like  the  Tamarack  its 
leaves  are  deciduous,  falling  in  October.  These  are  of  two 
kinds  ;  the  ordinary  leaf  is  narrowly  linear,  flat,  thin,  one-half 
to  three-fourths  of  an  inch  long,  one-twelfth  of  an  inch 
wide,  apparently  two -ranked;  when  full  grown  is  bright 
yellow  green  both  above  and  below.  In  autumn  they  turn 
a  dull  orange  brown  before  falling.  The  scale-like  leaves 
appear  on  the  flowering  stem.  The  cones  are  globular  or 
obovate,  usually  about  an  inch  in  diameter  and  appear  irreg- 
ularly along  the  branch. 

This  is  the  tree  that  when  growing  in  the  swamps  forms 
the  well-known  cypress-knees.  These  are  a  development  of 
the  roots  and  appear  in  greatest  size  and  numbers  when  the 
tree  grows  on  submerged  land.  It  seems  to  be  an  effort  of 
the  roots  to  get  out  of  water  and  into  the  air. 

484 


BALD   CYPRESS 


Bald  Cypress,  'I'axodiiini  disiicbinn. 
Leaves  Yz'  to  Y^'  long. 


PINE    FAMILY 

The  famous  Cypress  of  Montezuma  in  the  gardens  of  Che- 
pultepec  is  a  species  of  Taxodium.  This  was  a  noted  tree 
four  centuries  ago,  and  is  believed  to  be  about  seven  hundred 
years  old.  It  is  one  hundred  and  seventy  feet  high  and  about 
fifteen  feet  in  diameter. 


ARBORVITiE.    ^WHITE  €EDAR 

Thvja  occidentalis. 

Thiija  is  derived  from  a  Greek  word  signifying,  to  sacrifice,  the 
wood  having  been  used  in  sacrificial  offerings  because  of  its  agree- 
able odor.  Occidentalis,  western.  Arborvitas,  Tree  of  Life,  is 
supposed  to  have  been  given  because  the  bark  and  twigs  have 
been  used  in  medicine. 

A  narrow,  conical,  evergreen  tree  with  flat  frond-like  foliage  ; 
reaches  the  height  of  sixty  feet.  Inhabits  wet  soil  along  the  banks 
of  streams  and  forms  almost  impenetrable  forests  northward  ;  ranges 
across  the  continent  from  New  Brunswick  to  Manitoba  and  south- 
ward to  Minnesota,  Illinois  and  in  the  Atlantic  region  along  the 
mountains  to  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee.  Roots  fibrous  ;  juices 
medicinal.     Wood,  bark,  and  foliage  resinous,  aromatic. 

Ba7-k. — Light  reddish  brown,  slightly  furrowed,  on  old  trunks  de- 
ciduous in  ragged  strips.  Branchlets  at  first  flat,  disposed  in  one 
horizontal  plane,  light  yellow  green,  changing  with  the  death  of  the 
leaves  during  their  second  season  to  light  cinnamon  red,  and  grow- 
ing darker  the  next  year.  Gradually  becoming  terete  they  are  cov- 
ered with  dark  yellow,  coarse  bark.     Rich  in  tannin. 

Wood. — Fragrant,  light  yellow  brown,  sap  wood  nearly  white  ;  light, 
soft,  brittle,  coarse-grained  and  durable  in  contact  with  the  soil. 
Used  for  fence  posts,  rails,  railway  ties  and  shingles.  Sp.  gr., 
0.3164  ;  weight  of  cu.  ft.,  19.72  lbs. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  imbricated  in  four  ranks,  scale-like,  appressed. 
The  scale-like  leaves  of  the  ultimate  branches  are  nearly  orbicular, 
or  ovate,  the  two  lateral  rows  keeled,  the  two  other  rows  flat  and 
cause  the  twig  to  appear  much  flattened  ;  many  of  the  leaves  bear  a 
raised  glandular  disk.  When  full  grown  are  yellow  green  above 
and  below,  in  winter  frequently  become  brown.  The  leaves  of  older 
twigs  are  acute  or  acuminate  and  often  remote.  Leaves  of  seedlings 
are  lanceolate. 

Flowers. — May.  Monoecious,  terminal,  reddish  brown,  solitary. 
Staminate  and  pistillate  usually  on  different  branchlets.     Staminate 

486 


ARBORVITiE 


Fruiting  Spray  of  Arborvitie,  Thuja  ocddciitali.^ 


PINE    FAMILY 

flowers  minute,  globose,  consisting  of  four  to  six  stamens  arranged 
upon  a  short  axis  ;  filaments  scale-like,  bearing  anther  cells.  Pistil- 
late flowers  small,  oblong,  or  ovoid  ;  scales  eight  to  twelve,  oblong, 
acute;  reddish,  the  central  or  lower  fertile,  bearing  two  to  four 
ovules. 

Fruit. — Cone,  ripening  first  season.  Pale  cinnamon  brown,  erect, 
oblong,  one-third  to  one-half  of  an  inch  long  ;  scales  six  to  twelve, 
obtuse.     Seed  one-eighth  of  an  inch  long,  winged. 

This  tree  is  commonly  called  Arborvitse,  sometimes  White 
Cedar,  and  the  Indians  of  New  York  call  it,  Oo-soo-ha-tah — 
'*  Feather-leaf."  The  leaves  are  evergreen,  arranged  in  four 
rows  in  alternately  opposite  pairs,  completely  covering  and 
in  fact  seeming  to  make  up  the  fan-like  branchlets.  They 
are  scale-like,  each  lower  pair  covering  the  base  of  the  pair 
above.  The  branchlets  which  they  cover  are  arranged  in  a 
single  plane  as  if  they  were  parts  of  one  large,  flat,  compound 
leaf.  These  planes  are  variously  inclined  to  the  horizon,  often 
vertical,  and  form  a  marked  peculiarity  of  the  tree.  The 
leaves  when  bruised  exhale  a  very  agreeable,  aromatic,  resin- 
ous odor. 

The  Arborvitse  has  been  extensively  cultivated  as  an  or- 
namental tree  for  at  least  a  century,  and  nearly  fifty  varieties 
are  recorded.  The  tree  is  so  formal  in  outline  that  it  rarely 
harmonizes  with  other  trees.  Its  form  seems  the  result  of 
clipping  shears  but  in  reality  it  is  its  nature  to  look  artificial. 
It  has  merits.  Because  of  the  density  of  its  foliage,  it  will 
form  a  close  leafy  screen  more  effectually  than  any  other 
evergreen.  It  is  tolerant  of  many  and  diverse  conditions  of 
hot,  cold,  wet  and  dry,  bears  the  knife  well,  and  makes  excel- 
lent hedges.  During  the  early  winter  it  stands  up  bright  and 
green,  during  the  weather  changes  of  March  and  April  it  ap- 
pears very  brown,  ragged,  and  discouraged,  but  all  this  is 
atoned  for  when  the  golden  green  spray  starts  from  every 
leafy  branch,  and  it  responds  to  the  influences  of  another 
spring. 


488 


WHITE    CEDAR 


WHITE  CEDAR. 

Cuprcssus  thyoides.      Chaiiictcyparis  sphcrroidea. 

Cupressiis  is  the  classical   name   of  the   cypress  tree.        Cha77icccyparis 
is  of  Greek  derivation  and  means  a  low  cypress. 

A  conical  evergreen  tree  with  open,  flat,  fan-shaped  spray,  reaches 
the  maximum  height  of  eighty  feet.  Prefers  deep  swamps  and  in 
them  forms  impenetrable  thickets.  Ranges  from  Maine  to  Missis- 
sippi along  the  coast  ;  endures  salt  water.     Roots  fibrous. 

Bark. — Light  reddish  brown,  furrowed,  ridges  often  twisted  around 
the  tree,  scaly.  Branchlets  compressed  at  first,  later  become  terete  ; 
slender,  light  green  at  first,  then  light  reddish  brown,  finally  dark 
brown. 

Wood. — Light  brown  with  rose  tinge,  sapwood  pale  ;  light,  soft, 
weak,  close-grained,  easily  worked,  very  durable  in  contact  with  the 
soil,  fragrant.  Used  in  boat  building,  cooperage,  interior  finish  of 
houses,  fence  posts  and  railway  ties.  Sp.  gr.,  0.3322  ;  weight  of  cu. 
ft.,  20.70  lbs. 

Leaves. — Of  ultimate  branches  opposite,  imbricated  in  four  rows, 
scale-like,  small,  ovate,  acute  or  acuminate,  closely  appressed  or, 
spreading  at  the  apex,  decurrent,  often  remote  on  vigorous  shoots. 
Four-ranked,  those  of  the  lateral  rows  keeled,  those  on  vertical  rows 
slightly  convex,  each  with  a  glandular  disk  on  the  back.  The  young 
leaves  are  light  bluish  green,  somewhat  hoary  below,  when  full  grown 
they  become  a  dark  blue  green.  During  the  winter  in  the  north 
when  exposed  to  the  sun  they  become  a  rusty  brown. 

Flowers. — April.  Monoecious,  minute.  Staminate  flowers  are 
oblong,  four-sided,  one-eighth  of  an  inch  long,  consisting  of  several 
shield-shaped  scale-like  filaments  bearing  two  to  four  anthers. 
Pistillate  flowers  globular,  of  about  six  shield-shaped  scales,  alternat- 
ing in  pairs  and  bearing  generally  two  black  ovules. 

Frtiit. — Woody,  globular  cone,  ripens  at  end  of  first  season  ; 
about  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  sessile  on  a  short  leafy 
branch.  Light  green  and  covered  with  glaucous  bloom  when  full 
grown,  then  bluish  purple,  very  glaucous,  finally  dark  red  brown. 
Scales  are  thick,  shield-shaped,  each  with  a  central  point  or  knob. 
Seeds  usually  one  or  two  under  each  fertile  scale. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  Cupressus  thyoides  and  Thuja  oeeiden- 
talis  are  both  popularly  known  as  White  Cedar.  Thuja  is 
also  known  as  Arborvitse,  but  many  who  know  it  as  Arbor- 
vitse  also  know  it  as  White  Cedar.  This  results  in  endless 
confusion  in  the  popular  mind  concerning  the  two  trees. 


PINE    FAMILY 

They  have  much  in  common  ;  both  are  evergreens  of 
formal  habit.  The  branchlets  of  each  are  disposed  in  one 
horizontal  plane,  and  form  an  open,  flat,  fan-shaped  spray. 
The  spray  of  the  White  Cedar  is  closer  than  that  of  Arbor- 
vitae.  The  leaves  of  both  are  scale-like,  opposite  in  pairs, 
which  makes  them  four-ranked,  and  so  firmly  pressed  to  the 
twig  and  so  closely  overlapping  each  other  that  they  seem  to 
be  the  twig  itself.  A  tiny  glandular  disk  is  almost  always 
present  on  the  scales  of  the  White  Cedar,  frequently  present 
on  those  of, the  Arborvitae.  The  width  of  the  ultimate 
branchlets  of  the  Arborvitae  is  nearly  an  eighth  of  an  inch, 
that  of  the  White  Cedar  barely  a  sixteenth. 

The  cones  are  a  marked  and  distinguishing  difference  be- 
tween them.  Those  of  the  White  Cedar  are  tiny  round  balls, 
ornamented  with  various  points  and  knobs.  Those  of  the 
Arborvitae  are  oblong  and  consist  of  six  or  eight  loose 
scales.  White  Cedar  is  the  more  southern  tree.  Arbor- 
vitae has  its  chosen  home  in  northern  latitudes  although  both 
are  hardy  throughout  the  northern  states.  The  White  Cedar 
is  especially  a  tree  of  the  swamps,  crowding  as  far  into  the 
water  as  is  possible  while  retaining  a  foothold  of  earth.  Cedar 
swamps  as  a  rule  are  inaccessible  except  in  midwinter  on  the 
ice  ;  or  in  midsummer  when  the  water  is  reduced  to  its  lowest 
stage.  When  the  White  Cedar  and  the  Bald  Cypress  inhabit 
a  swamp  together,  the  former  crowds  to  the  centre  and  the 
latter  grows  about  the  edges.  Notwithstanding  its  love  of 
water  it  will  grow  in  dry  situations  ;  and  twelve  varieties  are 
reported  as  in  cultivation. 

As  an  illustration  of  the  durability  of  the  wood  it  may  be 
noted  that  the  trunks  of  White  Cedar,  buried  deep  in  the 
swamps  of  New  Jersey  and  Pennsylvania,  are  found  to  be  un- 
changed in  character  and  to  furnish  excellent  lumber. 


490 


WHITE    CEDAR 


Fruiting  Spray  of  White  Cedar,  Cnpnssus  tbj'oides.     Chanuviyparis  spba-roidea. 


PINE    FAMILY 


JUNIPER.     GROUND   CEDAR 

Junipej-tis  cotn?)iiinis. 

Evergreen,  varying  from  a  low  tree  to  an  erect,  or  a  matted  or  a 
prostrate  shrub.  As  a  tree  its  maximum  height  is  about  twenty- 
five  feet.  Branches  spreading,  or  erect,  or  drooping.  Ranges  from 
Greenland  to  Alaska,  in  the  east  southward  to  Pennsylvania  and 
northern  Nebraska,  in  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  Texas,  Mexico  and 
Arizona.     Bark  and  fruit  aromatic. 

Bark. — Dark  reddish  brown,  separating  into  loose  papery  scales. 
Branchlets  slender,  smooth,  lustrous,  three-angled  between  the  nodes, 
at  first  pale  reddish  yellow  growing  gradually  darker.  By  the  third 
year  the  bark  begins  to  scale. 

Buds. — Ovate,  acute,  one-eighth  of  an  inch  long,  covered  with 
scale-like  leaves. 

Leaves. — Linear-lanceolate,  free,  jointed  at  the  base,  acute,  rigid, 
spreading  nearly  at  right  angles  to  the  branches,  sometimes  reflexed, 
tipped  with  sharp,  rigid,  cartilaginous  points,  verticillate  in  threes, 
often  with  smaller  ones  fascicled  in  their  channels.  One-half  to 
three-fourths  an  inch  long,  channelled  and  hoary  above,  dark  yellow 
green  and  shining  below  ;  persistent  for  many  years.  They  have  an 
unpleasant  slightly  astringent  flavor,  and  during  winter  turn  a  dark 
bronze  on  lower  surface. 

Flowers. — April,  May.  Usually  dioecious.  From  buds  formed 
in  the  autumn  in  the  axils  of  leaves  of  the  year.  The  staminate 
flower  consists  of  scales  each  bearing  three  stamens,  verticillate  on  a 
central  axis  ;  anther-cells  three  or  four.  The  pistillate,  of  numerous 
scales  each  bearing  three  ovules,  arranged  on  a  central  axis. 

Fruit. — Berry-like  strobile,  maturing  the  second  year.  Dark 
blue,  glaucous,  subglobose  or  oblong.  Tipped  with  the  remnants 
of  the  ovules.  One-fourth  of  an  inch  in  diameter  ;  flesh  soft,  mealy, 
resinous,  aromatic,  sweet,  persists  one  or  two  years  after  ripening. 

The  common  Juniper  or  Ground  Cedar  is  a  most  interest- 
ing plant.  In  the  first  place  it  is  the  most  widely  distributed 
tree  of  the  northern  hemisphere,  ranging  around  the  earth  on 
the  line  of  the  arctic  circle,  and  in  America  southward  to  the 
highlands  of  Pennsylvania  in  the  east,  and  to  northern  Cali- 
fornia in  the  west.  It  spreads  over  northern,  central,  and 
eastern  Asia,  ranges  to  the  Himalayas  where  it  ascends  14,- 
000  feet  above  sea  level.     It  is  common  throughout  northern 

492 


COMMON   JUNIPER 


Fruitin,;;  Branch  of  Common  Juniper,  y//////)<77<.s  coiiniuiins. 
Berries  J^'  in  diameter. 


PINE   FAMILY 

and  central  Europe.  In  North  America  though  not  abundant 
it  is  generally  distributed.  It  is  evidently  one  of  those  trees 
which  has  been  driven  from  the  better  lands  by  more  power- 
ful competitors,  for  in  its  temperate  habitat  it  is  found  on 
dry,  sterile,  gravelly  slopes,  or  worn-out  pastures  or  upon  high 
mountain-sides.  Because  of  its  enormous  geographical  range 
it  naturally  varies  greatly  in  form,  changing  from  a  tree 
twenty-five  feet  high  with  a  trunk  ten  inches  in  diameter  to  a 
prostrate  shrub.  Its  remains  occur  in  the  tertiary  rocks  of 
Europe. 

The  Juniper  may  be  readily  recognized  among  evergreens, 
by  its  awl-like  leaves,  arranged  in  whorls  of  threes,  spread- 
ing, sharp  pointed,  channelled  and  hoary  above,  shining 
green  below. 

The  fruit  reaches  maturity  very  slowly.  The  species  is 
dioecious  and  the  flowers  appear  late  in  the  spring.  During 
the  first  year  the  fruit  does  not  enlarge,  it  looks  during  all 
its  first  winter  like  a  flower-bud,  but  at  the  blooming  period 
of  the  second  year  it  feels  the  impulse  of  quickening  life  and 
begins  to  grow,  and  by  the  second  winter  it  has  become  a 
hard,  green,  tiny  sphere  about  three-quarters  of  its  full  size, 
covered  with  white  bloom.  During  the  following  season  it 
continues  to  develop  and  in  early  autumn  becomes  dark  blue 
or  bluish  black  covered  with  a  glaucous  bloom,  with  soft, 
mealy,  aromatic  flesh,  and  one  to  three  seeds.  This  aromatic 
fruit  is  gathered  in  large  quantities  and  used  in  the  manu- 
facture of  gin  ;  whose  peculiar  flavor  and  medicinal  proper- 
ties are  due  to  the  oil  of  Juniper  berries,  which  is  secured  by 
adding  the  crushed  fruit  to  undistilled  grain  spirit,  or  by  al- 
lowing the  spirit  vapor  to  pass  over  it  before  condensation. 
The  seeds  of  the  Juniper  are  almost  as  slow  to  germinate  as 
they  were  to  mature,  requiring  two  years.  Thirteen  varieties 
of  Junipenis  communis  are  reported  in  the  Check  List  of  the 
Forest  Trees  of  the  United  States  and  several  foreign  species 
are  also  in  cultivation.  All  are  tolerant  of  the  knife,  and  it 
affords  gardeners  much  pleasure  to  make  them  assume  pecul- 
iar and  fantastic  shapes. 

494 


RED   CEDAR 


Fruiting  Branch  of  Red  Cedar,  Jnnipcrns  virginLma.    Leaves  scale-like. 

Berries  y^'  to  yj  in  diameter. 


PINE    FAMILY 


RED    CEDAR.     SAVIN 

Jtiniperiis  virginihna. 

Evergreen,  varying  from  a  shrub  to  a  tree  one  hundred  feet  high, 
which  is  conical  when  young  but  cylindrical  or  irregular  in  old  age. 
Ranges  from  Nova  Scotia  south  to  Florida,  westward  to  British  Co- 
lumbia and  east  of  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  Mexico.  Tolerant  of 
many  soils  and  varied  locations.     Roots  fibrous. 

Bark. — Light  reddish  brown,  scaly  or  stringy.  Branchlets  slender 
and  four-angled  but  after  the  disappearance  of  the  leaves  become 
terete  and  are  covered  with  close,  dark  brown  bark  tinged  with  red 
or  gray. 

Wood. — Bright  red,  fading  with  exposure  to  air,  sapwood  nearly 
white  ;  fragrant,  light,  soft,  close-grained,  weak,  durable  in  contact 
with  the  soil.  Largely  used  for  posts,  railway  ties,  interior  finish  of 
houses,  chests  and  closets  in  which  woollens  are  preserved  against 
attack  of  moths,  cabinet-making  and  lead  pencils.  Sp.  gr.,  0.4826; 
weight  of  cu.  ft.,  30.70  lbs. 

Leaves. — Opposite,  of  two  kinds;  awl-shaped  and  loose,  scale- 
shaped,  appressed,  imbricated,  and  crowded.  The  awl-shaped  ap- 
pear on  young  plants  and  vigorous  branches,  are  linear-lanceolate, 
long-pointed,  light  yellow  green,  one-half  to  three-fourths  an  inch 
long.  The  scale-shaped  are  closely  appressed,  acute,  occasionally 
obtuse,  rounded,  often  glandular  in  the  back,  entire,  about  one-six- 
teenth of  an  inch  long,  dark  blue  green,  glaucous,  turning  brownish 
during  the  winter  at  the  north,  beginning  in  the  third  season  to  grow 
hard  and  woody  and  persisting  two  or  three  years  longer  on  the 
branches.  They  are  four-ranked,  making  the  twig  appear  quad- 
rangular. 

Flowers. — April,  May  ;  terminal  on  short  axillary  branches  ;  dioe- 
cious rarely  monoecious.  Staminate  flowers  consist  of  four  to  six 
shield-like  scales  each  bearing  about  four  or  five  yellow  pollen  sacs. 
Pistillate  flowers  minute  consisting  of  about  three  pairs  of  fleshy, 
oblong,  bluish  scales,  united  at  base,  and  bearing  two  ovules.  Scales 
are  obliterated  in  the  fruit. 

Frjiz't. — Matures  in  first  or  second  season.  Berry-like  strobile, 
subglobose,  one-third  to  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  diameter,  pale 
green  covered  with  white  bloom,  when  fully  grown,  dark  blue  and 
glaucous  at  maturity ;  flesh  sweet,  resinous  ;  seeds  two  to  three. 

The  Red  Cedar  grows  throughout  the  United  States.  It 
reaches  its  largest  size  in  the  swamps  and  rich  alluvial  bot- 
tom lands  of  the  southern  and  southwestern  states,  but  in  the 

496 


RED   CEDAR 


Red  Cedar,  Junipems  -drginiana.     Leaves  awl-shaped. 


PINE    FAMILY 

northern  states  it  grows  abundantly  on  dry  gravelly  slopes 
and  rocky  ridges. 

A  distinctive  characteristic  of  the  tree  is  the  variation  in  the 
form  of  its  leaves.  Variation  of  form  occurs  among  the  leaves 
of  the  Sassafras  and  the  Mulberry  ;  the  Pitch  Pine  sometimes 
bears  two  forms  ;  the  Red  Cedar  does  so  habitually.  These 
are  the  awl-shaped  and  the  scale-shaped.  There  seems  to  be 
no  law  that  determines  their  production  except  that  the  awl- 
shaped  always  appear  upon  the  young  plants,  but  on  mature 
plants  the  different  forms  occur  upon  the  same  branchlet. 
The  awl-shaped  are  rigid,  long-pointed,  channelled  and  white 
glaucous  above,  yellow  green  and  convex  below.  They  vary 
in  length  from  one-fourth  to  three-fourths  of  an  inch.  The 
scale-shaped  are  minute,  closely  appressed,  acute  or  obtuse, 
and  usually  bear  a  glandular  disk  on  the  back.  They  are  op- 
posite but  are  so  closely  ranked  that  they  make  the  leafy 
twig  appear  quadrangular. 

The  wood  of  the  Red  Cedar  is  so  valuable  and  has  been 
used  so  lavishly  that  it  has  become  extremely  expensive. 
The  present  commercial  supply  is  obtained  chiefly  from  the 
swamps  near  the  western  coast  of  Florida. 

Few  insects  attack  the  Junipers,  but  they  are  the  hosts  of 
numbers  of  very  interesting  fungi.  These  fungi  belong  to 
the  Rust  family  and  are  popularly  known  as  Cedar  Apples. 
The  common  Cedar  Apple,  Gymnosporangium  macropus^  es- 
pecially attacks  the  Red  Cedar  and  forms  tufts  of  bright  yel- 
low, jelly-like  masses,  from  orifices  in  which  long  yellow 
spurs  protrude.  These  cling  to  the  smaller  twigs  and  are 
frequently  believed  to  be  the  flowers  of  the  tree,  or  else  an 
astonishing  kind  of  fruit.  They  will  appear  in  a  single  night 
during  the  rainy  season  ;  and  a  Red  Cedar  covered  with  these 
bright  yellow  masses  of  waving  tongues  is  a  remarkable 
sight.  When  the  weather  becomes  dry  these  gelatinous 
masses  contract  and  they  are  then  seen  to  arise  from  the 
changed  tissue  of  very  young  twigs. 


498 


TAXACEtE— YEW   FAMILY 

GINKGO 

Salisbi^cria  adiatitifblia.      Ginkgo  biloba. 

The  Ginkgo  is  a  Chinese  tree  which  came  to  England  by 
way  of  Japan  and  to  the  United  States  by  way  of  England. 
It  is  proving  itself  to  be  perfectly  hardy  and  is  planted  in 
greater  numbers  year  by  year. 

That  which  astonishes  the  observer  is  the  singular  char- 
acter of  its  leaves.  There  is  nothing  like  them  in  the  ar- 
borescent foliage  of  either  America  or  Europe.  Appar- 
ently they  are  fern  leaves;  they  so  closely  resemble  the 
leaves  of  the  Maiden-hair  fern,  Adiantum,  that  one  of  the 
specific  names  of  the  tree  is  adiantifolia.  They  are  not 
evergreen  ;  they  turn  yellow  and  drop  in  late  autumn,  in 
that  respect  partaking  of  the  character  of  the  Larch  and 
the  Bald  Cypress. 

The  fruit  is  a  drupe  about  an  inch  long,  oval  in  shape,  very 
ill  scented  when  ripe,  and  containing  a  nut  which  is  high- 
ly esteemed  in  Japan.  This  nut  resembles  a  large  plump 
plum-stone.  It  is  not  palatable  until  roasted,  but  then  it  is 
considered  a  digestive  and  is  very  generally  served  at  ban- 
quets. 

The  tree  has  been  slow  to  fruit  in  this  country,  but  it  is 
becoming  apparent  that  the  reason  has  been  that  few  trees 
have  attained  the  requisite  age.  Trees  thirty  to  forty  years 
old  are  beginning  to  fruit  quite  generally. 

The  young  trees  are  tall,  slender  and  spiry  with  a  tendency 

499 


YEW   FAMILY 

ill  the  branches  to  hug  the  stem.  But  after  a  time  one 
branch  or  perhaps  two  will  grow  out  horizontally,  the  others 
will  loosen  a  little  so  that  it  becomes  very  evident  that  the 
type  of  the  mature  tree  is  not  the  Lombardy  Poplar,  but 
rather  a  spreading  oak.  The  Ginkgo,  is  said  to  attain  enor- 
mous proportions  in  its  native  land  ;  and  if  the  climate 
proves  favorable  it  may  become  a  valuable  tree  in  the 
United  States. 


500 


GINKGO 


Ginkg:o.     Ginkgo  biloba. 


FORM   AND   STRUCTURE 


Roots,  Stems,  Leaves,  Flowers,  and  Fruit 


ROOTS. 

The  root  is  that  part  of  the  plant  axis  which  does  not  bear 

leaves.     Normally  it  grows  downward,  is  fixed  in  the  soil  and 

absorbs  nourishment  from  the  soil.     True 

roots  produce  nothing  but  root  branches 

and  root  hairs. 

Roots  differ  from  stems  in  the  following 

particulars.  They  are  simpler  in  internal 
structure,  very  irregular  in 
their  mode  of  branching, 
never  directly  bear  leaves, 
and  their  growing  point  is 
placed  just  back  of  the  tip 
of  the  root.  This  tip  is 
covered  with  a  protecting  cap  called  the  root- 
cap  and  this  may  push  its  way  without  injury 
to  the  growing  point.  The  root-hairs  are 
found  on  the  ultimate  branches  just  back  of 
the  growing  point  ;  their  function  is  to  ab- 
sorb nutriment  from  the  soil.     (Fig.  i.) 

When    the    main    root    is    simple    or    the 
branches  are  small,   it  is  called   a  tap  root. 
(Fig.  2.) 
When  the  main  root  divides  very  soon  and  is  lost  in  its 

branches,  the  root  is  called  fibrous. 


Fig.   I. — Showing  Root- 
cap  and  Root-hairs. 


Fig.  2.  — Tap  Root. 


FORM   AND   STRUCTURE 

The  roots  of  the  deciduous  trees  of  North  America  are 
usually  a  modified  form  of  the  tap  root,  often  a  divided  tap 
root  with  fibrous  rootlets. 


STEM. 

The  stem  is  that  part  of  the  plant  axis  which  bears  the 
leaves,  flowers  and  fruit,  and  is  the  means  of  communication 
between  them  and  the  root.  The  stem  differs  from  the  root 
not  only  in  that  it  is  leaf-bearing  but  its  branches  are  ar- 
ranged regularly  and  the  growing  point  is  at  the  apex  of  the 
branches.  A  stem  increases  in  length  by  the  growth  of  a 
terminal  bud  and  its  branches  normally  originate  from  buds. 

The  points  on  the  stem  where  the  leaves  appear  are  called 
nodes. 

The  parts  of  the  stem  between  the  nodes  are  called  inter- 
nodes. 

The  angle  formed  by  the  upper  side  of  a  leaf  and  the  stem 
is  called  the  axil. 

LEAVES. 

Leaves  are  stem-appendages  and  consist  of  expansions  of 
the  stem  tissues.  Foliage  leaves  are  usually  flat,  bi-laterally 
symmetrical  organs,  green  in  color,  and 
presenting  a  distinct  upper  and  under 
surface.  They  are  pre-eminently  the 
assimilating  organs  of  the  plant ;  out 
of  the  crude  sap  under  the  influence  of 
light  and  air  they  elaborate  the  plant 
food. 

A  Typical  Leaf  consists  of  three 
parts,  the  blade,  the  petiole,  and  the 
stipules  ;  any  one  of  these  parts  may 
be  wanting.     (Fig.  3.) 

The  Blade  is  the  expanded  portion  of 
the  leaf  and  the  part  to  which  the  word 
leaf  is  usually  applied.  The  Petiole  is 
the  leaf  stalk.  The  Stipules  are  small 
leaf-like  bodies,  borne  at  the  base  of  the  petiole,  usually 
one    on    each    side.     These    are   often    united.       Frequently 


Fig.   3. — A  Typical  Leaf. 


504 


FORM   AND   STRUCTURE 

they  are  wanting.     The  Sycamore  and  Black  Willow  afford 
excellent  examples  of  stipules. 


ARRANGEMENT. 

When  leaves  are  distributed  singly  at  different  heights  on 
the  stem,  they  are  said  to  be  alternate.  When  two  stand  op- 
posite each  other  at  the  nodes,  they  are  opposite.  When 
more  than  two  are  borne  at  a  node  in  a  circle  around  the 
stem,  they  are  whorled. 

KINDS  OF  LEAVES. 

Leaves  are  either  simple  or  compound. 

A  Simple  Leaf  has  but  one  blade.  The  leaves  of  the  Elm 
are  simple.  A  Compound  Leaf  has  more  than  one  blade  ; 
each  blade  is  then  called  a  leaflet.  The  leaves  of  the  Sumach 
are  pinnately  compound  ;  the  leaves  of  the  Horse-chestnut 
are  palmately  compound. 

VERNATION  OR  PREFOLIATION. 

In  the  study  of  the  leaves  of  trees  considerable  attention 
is  given  to  the  way  the  leaves  are  folded  in  the  bud  ;  this  is 


N 


Fig.  8. 


Fig.  9. 


called  vernation.  It  may  be  studied  from  two  points  of 
view  ;  how  the  leaves  are  arranged  with  reference  to  each 
other,  or  how  the  individual  leaf  is  folded. 

505 


FORM   AND   STRUCTURE 

The  following  are  the  common  forms  of  folding  of  the  in- 
dividual leaf  : 

Inflexed,  bent  inward  toward  the  base.     (Fig.  4.) 
Conduplicate,  two  sides  applied  to  each  other,  face  to  face. 

(Fig.  5.) 
Plicate,  when  folded  back  and  forth  like  the  plaits  of  a  fan. 

(Fig.  6.) 
Convolute,  when  rolled  inward  from  one  margin  to  the  other. 

(Fig.  7.) 

Involute,  rolled  inward  from  each  margin  toward  the  midrib. 
(Fig.  8.) 

Revolute,  rolled  outward  from  each  margin  toward  the  mid- 
rib.    (Fig.  9.) 

Botanically  the  inner  surface  of   a  leaf   is  that  which  in 
ordinary  description  is  called  the  upper  surface. 

VENATION. 

The  Venation  of  a  leaf  is  the  arrangement  of  the  veins  or 
framework. 

Three  types  are  distinguished  : 

Forked-venation,  seen  in  ferns. 

Parallel-venation,  seen  in  grasses  and  lilies. 

Netted-venation,    the  form  that  prevails   among  deciduous 
trees.      In    the  Netted-venation    the    veins    branch    re- 
peatedly and  the  veinlets  run  together  end  to  end,  form- 
ing a  more  or  less  complicated  network. 
There  are  three  modifications  of  this  type  : 

Pinnate  or  Feather-veined,  in  which  there  is  a  midrib  with 
lateral  branches  called  primary  veins  which  run  toward 
the  margin  ;  as  in  the  leaves  of  the  Elm,  Beech,  and 
Chestnut. 

Palmate-veined,  in  which  there  are  several  ribs  radiating 
from  the  petiole  to  the  margin  ;  as  in  the  leaves  of  the 
Maple  and  Sycamore. 

Ribbed-netted-veined,  in  which  there  are  several  ribs  run- 
ning from  petiole  to  apex  with  a  network  of  small  veins 

between. 

506 


FORM  AND  STRUCTURE 


FORMS  OF  LEAVES. 

By  General  Outline  we  mean  the  outline  form  of  the  leaf, 
disregarding  marginal  indentations  and  slight  irregularities. 


Fig.    io.   Fig.    ii.       Fig.    12.  Fio.    13. 


Fig.   14.  Fig.   15. 


Fig.   16. 


Fig.   17. 


Fig.   18. 


Fig.   19. 


The  principal  forms  found  in  the  leaves  of  trees  are    the 
following  : 

Needle-shaped,  like  the  leaves  of  the  Pine.     (Fig.  lo.) 

Linear,  a  narrow  elongated  form.     (Fig.  ii.) 

Oblong,  two  or  three  times  longer  than  wide  with  sides  nearly 

parallel.     (Fig.  12,) 
Elliptical,  oblong  with  a  flowing  outline,  the  two  ends  alike  in 

width.     (Fig.  13.) 
Oval,  broadly  elliptical.     (Fig.  14.) 

Lanceolate,  broader  at  base  than  apex,  but  narrow.     (Fig.  15.) 
Oblanceolate,  the  lanceolate  reversed.     (Fig.  16.) 

507 


FORM  AND   STRUCTURE 

Ovate,  shaped  like  the  longitudinal  section  of  a  hen's  egg, 

(Fig.  17.) 
Obovate,    same    form    reversed,  petiole   at  the  smaller  end. 

(Fig.  18.) 
Orbicular,  nearly  circular  in  outline.     (Fig.  19.) 

The  names  are  frequently  used  together  in  order  to  de- 
scribe a  leaf  accurately. 

APEX. 

The  Apex  is  the  point  of  the  leaf  opposite  the  petiole. 
The  following  forms  prevail  in  the  leaves  of  deciduous  trees: 

Acute,  an  apex  which  forms  an  acute  angle.     (Fig.  20.) 
Acuminate,  taper  or  long  pointed.     (Fig.  21.) 
Obtuse,  rounded  or  blunt.     (Fig.  22.) 
Truncate,  cut  off  or  terminating  abruptly.     (Fig.  23.) 


Fig.  20.     Fig.  21.     Fig.  22. 


Fig.  23. 


Fig.  2j 


Fig.  25. 


Emarginate,    with    the    rounded    summit   slightly    indented 

forming  a  shallow  notch.     (Fig.  24.) 
Mucronate,  tipped  with  an  abrupt  short  point.     (Fig.  25.) 
Bristle-pointed,  tipped  with  a  bristle.     (Fig.  26.) 


BASE. 

The  Base  is  the  part  of  the  leaf  attached  to  the  petiole  or 
stem.  The  following  forms  prevail  in  the  leaves  of  deciduous 
trees  : 

Rounded  or  Obtuse,  as  shown  by  the  Black  Cherry. 
Cuneate  or  Wedge-shaped,  as  shown  by  the  Papaw. 
Cordate  or  Heart-shaped,  as  shown  by  the  Balm  of  Gilead. 
Oblique  or  unequal-sided,  as  shown  by  the  Linden. 

508 


FORM   AND   STRUCTURE 


MARGINAL   INDENTATIONS. 

A  distinction  is  made  between  indentations  that  are  shallow 
and  those  that  are  deep.     Of  shallow  indentations  the  fol- 
lowing forms  prevail  in  the  leaves  of  deciduous  trees  : 
Serrate,  saw-toothed,  with  sharp  teeth  which  incline  toward 

the  apex  ;  distinguished  as  fine  and  coarse.     (Fig.  27.) 
Bi-serrate,  doubly  serrate,  with  two  sets  of  teeth  one  upon 

the  other.     (Fig.  28.) 


Figs.  27. 


29. 


30. 


Dentate,  toothed  with  outwardly  projecting  teeth  ;    distin- 
guished as  fine  and  coarse.     (Fig.  29.) 
Crenate,  scalloped,  the  teeth  broad  and  rounded.     (Fig.  30.) 
Undulate,  when  the  margin  forms  a  wavy  line.     (Fig.  31.) 
Sinuate,  deeply  wavy.     (Fig.  32.) 

Repand,  margin  like  that  of  an  opened  umbrella.     (Fig.  ^t,.) 
Spinose,  margin  spiny.     (Fig.  34.) 

The  common  forms  of  deeply  indented  margins  found  in 

the  leaves  of  trees  are  Lobed  and  Cleft. 

Lobed,  when  the  indentations  extend  nearly  half-way  to  the 
midrib  or  base,  and  the  segments  or  sinuses  or  both  may 
be  either  rounded  or  acute.  The  Oak  and  the  IMaple 
leaves  are  examples. 

Cleft,  when  the  sinuses  are  deep,  narrow,  and  acute, 

509 


FORM   AND   STRUCTURE 


THE    INDIVIDUAL  FLOWER. 

A  complete  flower  consists  of  four  sets  of  organs  which 
botanists  regard  as  modified  leaves.  These  are  Calyx,  Co- 
rolla, Androecium  the  Stamens,  and  Gynoecium  the  pistils. 
They   are   borne    on    a    short   axis   called    the    receptacle. 

(Fig.  35.) 

The  Calyx  is  the  outer  set.  This  is  usually  green  though 
sometimes   it   is    colored.     It    may   consist   of  a   number  of 

separate  parts  called 
Sepals ;  these  may  be 
more  or  less  united. 

The  Corolla  is  the 
second  set.  This  is 
usually  colored.  It  may 
consist  of  a  number  of 
separate  parts  called 
petals;  these  may  be 
more  or  less  united. 

The  calyx  and  corolla 
are  called  the  floral 
envelopes  because  they 
surround  and  protect 
the  stamens  and  pistils, 
which  are  the  essential 
organs  of  the  flower. 
They  are  called  essen- 
tial organs  because  to- 
gether they  produce 
the  seed. 

The  Stamens  consti- 
tute the   third   set.     A 
filament  and  the  anther. 
The  Anther  is  the  essen- 


FiG.  35. 


Cherry  Blossom,  Showing  Calyx  (bud), 
Corolla,  Stamens,  and  Pistil. 


stamen  consists  of  two  parts,  the 

The  Filament  is  the  anther  stem. 

tial  part  and  contains  the  Pollen  which  it  discharges  when 

mature.     When  the  filament  is  wanting  the  anther  is  said  to 

be  sessile. 

The  Pistils  are  at  the  centre  of  the  flower.     It  is  not  often 


510 


FORM   AND   STRUCTURE 


that  a  number  of  pistils  are 
found  entirely  separate ;  as  a 
rule  they  grow  together  and  the 
parts  unite  or  coalesce. 

A  single  pistil  consists  of 
ovary,  style  and  stigma.  The 
Ovary  is  a  hollow  case  which 
contains  the  ovules  ;  the  Stig- 
ma is  the  upper  part,  usually 
flattened,  which  is  covered  by 
an  adhesive  secretion  and  which  receives  the  pollen  ;  the 
Style  connects  the  ovary  and  the  stigma.  It  may  be  want- 
ing, the  stigma  is  then  said  to  be  sessile.     (Fig.  ^6.) 

The  Ovules  are  tiny  sac-like  bodies  which  after  they  receive 
the  protoplasm  of  the  pollen  develop  into  seeds. 


Fig.  36. — Half  a  Cherry  Blossom  Show- 
ing Ovary,  Style  and  Stigma. 


Fig.  37.  —  Raceme  of 
Barberry  Blossoms. 


INFLORESCENCE. 

Inflorescence  is  a  term  used  to  denote  the 

arrangement  of  the  flowers  on  the  stem. 

Flowers  may  occur  singly  or  in  clusters  ; 

they  may  be  terminal  or  axillary. 
Peduncle,  is  the  stem  of  a  solitary  flower  or 

of  a  flower  cluster. 
Pedicel,  is  the  individual  stem  of  each  flower 

in  a  cluster. 
Bract,  is  a  small  leaf  found  on  a  flower  stem. 
Involucre,  is  a  collection  of  bracts  around  a 

flower  cluster  or  around  a  single  flower. 

FLOWER    CLUSTERS. 

Raceme,  is  a  cluster  in  which  the  flowers  are 
arranged  along  the  central  axis  upon 
pedicels  nearly  equal  in  length,  those 
nearest  the  base  blooming  first  (Fig. 
37).  The  central  axis  is  called  a  rachis. 
When  the  pedicels  divide  and  subdivide 
the  raceme  becomes  a  Panicle.  When 
a  panicle  stiffens  and  becomes  rigid  and 


FORM   AND   STRUCTURE 


Fig.  58. — A  Corymb. 

flowers  are  at  the 
centre,  is  called  a 
Cyme. 

Umbel,  resembles  a  ra- 
ceme but  the  central 
axis  is  very  short 
and  the  pedicels  are 
nearly  equal  in 
length.     (Fig.  39.) 

Spike,  is  like  a  raceme 
except  that  the  flow- 
ers are  sessile  ;  they 
sit  directly  on  the 
central  axis. 

Catkin  or  Ament,  is  like 
a  spike  except  that 
its  bracts  are  scales 
and  the  central  axis 
is  often  drooping. 
Flowers  of  Poplar 
are  examples. 


erect  it  is  called  a 
Thyrsus.  Flowers 
of  Sourwood  are 
borne  in  a  raceme. 
Corymb,  is  like  a  raceme 
except  that  the  cen- 
tral axis  is  shorter 
and  the  lower  ped- 
icels are  lengthened 
so  as  to  bring  all 
the  flowers  to  near- 
ly the  same  level. 
The  oldest  flowers 
are  at  the  circum- 
ference (Fig.  ^S.) 
A  flower  cluster 
similar  in  form,  but 
in  which  the  oldest 


Fig.  39.— Umbel  of  Cherry  Blossoms. 


FORM   AND    STRUCTURE 

Head,  is  like  a  spike  except  that  the  central  axis  is  so  short 

that  the  flowers  form  a  compact  cluster. 
Strobile,  is  a  compact  cluster  with  large  scales  concealing  the 

flowers. 

FRUIT. 

The  Fruit  consists  essentially  of  the  ripened  pistil.  After 
the  ovaries  have  been  fertilized  the  ovary  is  called  a  Peri- 
carp. The  following  kinds  of  fruits  are  those  most  frequently 
borne  by  trees  and  are  the  products  of  a  single  flower  : 

Akene,  is  a  one-seeded,  dry,  hard,  seed-like  fruit. 

Samara,  resembles  an  akene  except  that  it  has  a  wing-like 
appendage.  The  Ash,  the  Elm  and  the  Maple  produce 
samaras. 

Glans  or  Nut,  is  a  fruit  with  a  thick  hard  pericarp,  enclosed 
more  or  less  in  an  involucre.     The  acorn  is  a  nut. 

Drupe,  is  often  called  a  stone  fruit.  In  it  the  wall  of  the 
pericarp  is  differentiated  into  three  divisions — the  outer 
or  skin  called  exocarp,  middle  or  fleshy  portion  called 
mesocarp,  the  inner  wall  enveloping  the  seed  called  endo- 
carp.     A  cherry  is  a  drupe. 

Tryma,  is  a  fruit  structurally  resembling  the  drupe,  but  the 
mesocarp  is  harder,  more  fibrous,  and  the  outer  husk  ulti- 
mately splits  open  and  comes  off.  A  hickory  nut  is  an 
example. 

Berry,  has  a  thin  rind  and  all  the  rest  of  the  pericarp  is  suc- 
culent. Berries  may  be  one  or  many-celled.  Grape  and 
currant  are  examples. 

Pome,  is  a  fleshy  fruit,  the  chief  bulk  of  which  consists  of  an 
adherent  fleshy  calyx.     The  apple  is  a  pome. 

Legume,  is  a  dry  one-carpelled  fruit  or  pod  that  splits  open 
front  and  back.     The  fruit  of  the  I>ocust  is  a  legume. 

Capsule,  consists  of  two  or  more  united  pistils  which  open 
and  allow  the  seeds  to  escape. 

Fruits  that  are  the  product  of  one  flower  but  of  more  than 
one  pistil  are  called  Aggregated  Fruits.  Raspberry  is  an 
example.  Fruits  that  are  the  products  of  flower  clusters 
instead  of  single  flowers  are  called  Multiple  Fruits. 

513 


FORM   AND   STRUCTURE 

Sorosis,  is  a  multiple  fruit  of  which  the  mulberry  is  an  ex- 
ample. 

Strobile  or  Cone,  is  a  multiple  fruit  consisting  of  a  scale-bear- 
ing axis,  each  scale  enclosing  one  or  more  seeds.  Pine 
cones  are  examples. 

Galbulus,  is  a  cone,  the  scales  of  which  have  become  succu- 
lent.    The  juniper  berry  is  an  example. 

The  Seed  is  the  fertilized  and  ripened  ovule.  It  contains  the 
embryo  and  usually  more  or  less  albumen.  A  well  de- 
veloped embryo  possesses  four  parts  :  a  tiny  stem  or 
Caulicle,  at  the  lower  end  of  which  is  the  beginning  of  a 
root,  called  a  Radicle;  and  Cotyledons,  which  are  two 
thickened  bodies  near  the  upper  end  of  the  caulicle,  and 
between  these  is  a  small  bud  called  a  Plumule.  These 
parts  can  be  readily  seen  in  the  sprouting  bean  or  pea. 
Some  plants  produce  seeds  bearing  one  cotyledon  only  ; 
such  are  called  Monocotyledones.  Others  bear  two  co- 
tyledons, they  are  called  Dicotyledones. 

THE    TREE    STEM    OR    TRUNK. 

Stems  are  of  two  kinds,  Endogenous  and  Exogenous,  so 
named  from  the  character  of  their  growth.  In  an  endogenous 
stem  the  wood  is  made  up  of  separate  threads  scattered,  here 
and  there,  throughout  the  whole  diameter  of  the  stem.  In 
an  exogenous  stem  the  wood  is  collected  to  form  a  layer  sur- 
rounding a  central  column  of  pith  and  is  itself  surrounded  by 
bark. 

A  transverse  section  of  a  small  twig  of  a  tree  shows  the 
pith  in  the  centre,  around  it  a  zone  of  wood,  then  a  green 
inner  bark,  and  finally  the  outer  bark.  All  parts,  except 
possibly  the  outer  bark,  are  alive. 

A  transverse  section  of  a  mature  tree  exhibits  a  centre  of 
heartwood  or  Duramen  and  a  zone  of  sapwood  or  Alburnum, 
an  inner  bark  and  an  outer  bark.  In  addition  are  seen  a 
series  of  concentric  rings  known  as  rings  of  annual  growth, 
also  a  number  of  lines  radiating  from  centre  to  circumference 
called  Medullary  Rays.  The  pith  has  disappeared  but  the 
medullary  rays  are  composed  of  pith  tissue  and  form  a  set 

514 


FORM   AND   STRUCTURE 


Transverse  Section  of  Trunk  of  White  Oak,  Q,,ercHs  alba,  Showinir  Bark, 
Sapwood,  Heartwood,  Annual  Rings  and  Medullary  Rays. 


FORM   AND    STRUCTURE  • 

of  narrow  plates  which  make  the  "  silver  grain "  of  the 
wood. 

In  the  transverse  section  these  appear  as  lines  but  when 
the  wood  is  cut  lengthwise  parallel  to  them,  "  quartered," 
their  faces  show  as  glimmering  plates  which  give  a  peculiar 
and  beautiful  appearance  to  the  wood.  Trees  differ  in  the 
size  and  number  of  their  medullary  rays. 

Each  of  the  rings  is  supposed  to  mark  a  year's  growth  of 
the  tree  ;  as  a  matter  of  fact  it  may  or  may  not  do  so,  but 
the  number  of  concentric  rings  will  give  the  approximate 
age  of  the  tree. 

The  heartwood  is  the  more  valuable  part  of  the  trunk  for 
timber.  It  is  drier,  harder,  and  more  solid  than  the  sapwood. 
The  cells  have  been  so  filled  by  the  deposition  of  hard  mat- 
ter that  they  are  no  longer  able  to  take  any  part  in  the  cir- 
culation of  the  tree  ;  the  protoplasm  has  receded  from  them 
and  they  are  virtually  dead. 

The  zone  of  sapwood  is  a  zone  of  living  tissue.  But  the 
impulse  of  life  is  ever  leaving  the  old  and  entering  the  new, 
and  the  cells  of  its  inner  circumference  are  continually  being 
transformed  into  heartwood,  and  those  of  its  outer  circum- 
ference increased  by  new  growth. 

Between  the  sapwood  and  the  bark,  united  to  each,  is  a 
zone  of  growth  called  the  Cambium  Layer.  This  is  a  tissue 
of  young  and  growing  cells  and  it  is  here  that  the  tree  in- 
creases in  diameter.  Here  is  the  newest  wood  and  the  new- 
est bark,  here  new  cells  are  formed,  the  inner  ones  adding 
to  the  wood,  the  outer  to  the  bark,  producing  the  annual 
layers  of  the  two  which  are  ever  renewing  and  continuing  the 
life  of  the  tree. 

The  Bark  is  the  outer  covering  of  the  trunk.  At  the  sur- 
face it  is  made  up  of  dead  and  dying  tissue  which  is  stretched 
and  torn  and  shed  in  plates  or  scales  as  the  wood  beneath  it 
increases  in  size  and  requires  room  to  expand.  The  inner 
bark  consists  essentially  of  sieve-tissue  or  bast  and  forms  a 
zone  capable  of  rapidly  conducting  the  fluids  of  the  tree. 

In  all  young  bark  is  found  a  peculiar  group  of  cells,  called 
Lenticels,  which  protrude  through  the  skin  or  epidermis.  In 
some  trees  these  lenticels  disappear  when  the  bark  becomes 

516 


FORM    AND   STRUCTURE 

older,  in  others  they  persist.  The  best  opinion  now  is  that 
they  are  openings  for  the  purpose  of  admitting  air  to  the 
Hving  internal  tissues. 

SPECIES    AND    GENUS.    - 

Under  the  term  Species  are  included  all  individuals  which 
possess  in  common  such  a  number  of  constant  characters  that 
they  may  be  considered  to  be  descended  from  a  common  an- 
cestral form.  In  the  course  of  multiplication  new  peculiari- 
ties may  arise  and  individuals  characterized  by  these  peculi- 
arities are  regarded  in  classification  as  Varieties. 

When  several  species  resemble  each  other  so  distinctly 
that  their  general  characters  indicate  relationship  they  are 
grouped  together  in  a  Genus.  Genera  are  not  fixed,  they 
vary  with  the  views  of  botanists. 

The  Scientific  Name  of  a  plant  consists  of  two  words,  the 
first  indicating  the  genus,  the  second  the  species.  If  a  third 
is  added  it  indicates  the  variety. 


517 


GLOSSARY    OF    BOTANICAL    TERMS. 

Abnormal. — Differing  from  the  usual  structure. 

Abortion. — Imperfect  development  or  non-development  of  an  organ. 

Abortive. — Imperfectly  developed  or  rudimentary. 

Acuminate. — Tapering  at  the  end. 

Acute. — Forming  a  sharp  angle. 

Adhesion. — The  union  of  members  of  different  floral  whorls. 

Adnate. — Grown  together. 

Adventitious. — Occurring  out  of  the  regular  order. 

Estivation. — The  arrangement  of  floral  organs  in  the  bud. 

Akene. — A  small,  dry,  hard,  one-celled,  one-seeded,  indehiscent  fruit. 

Albumen. — A  name  applied  to  the  food  store  laid  up  outside  the  embryo  in 

many  seeds ;    also  nitrogenous  organic  matter  found    in   animals    and 

plants. 
Alburnum. — Sap  wood. 
Alternate. — Applied  to  that  form  of  leaf  arrangement  in  which  only  one 

leaf  occurs  at  a  node. 
Ament.— A  scaly  spike  or  catkin. 

Angiosperms. — Those  plants  which  bear  their  seeds  within  a  pericarp. 
Anther. — That  part  of  the  stamen  which  bears  the  pollen. 
Apetalgus.  —  Having  no  petals. 
Appressed. — Lying  close  and  flat  against. 
Arborescent. — A  tree  in  size  and  habit  of  growth. 
Aril. — The  exterior  coat  of  some  seeds. 

AwL-SHAPED. — Narrowed  upward  from  the  base  to  a  slender  or  rigid  point. 
Axil. — The  upper  one  of  the  two  angles  formed  by  the  juncture  of  the  leaf 

with  the  stem. 
Axillary. — Situated  in  an  axil. 

Bast. — A  name  applied  to  the  inner  layer  of  the  bark. 
Beaked. — Ending  in  a  prolonged  tip. 
Berry. — A  fruit  whose  entire  pericarp  is  succulent. 
Bi-PINNATE. — Applied  to  a  leaf  which  is  twice  compounded  on  the  pinnate 

plan. 
Bractlets. — The  smaller  bracts  borne  on  pedicels. 
Bracts. — The  modified  leaves  borne  on  flower  peduncles  or  at  the  base  of 

flower  stems. 

5«9 


GLOSSARY  OF  BOTANICAL  TERMS 

Caducous. — Applied  to  the  calyx  of  a  flower  when  it  falls  off  before  the 
flower  expands ;  also  to  the  stipules  of  a  leaf  if  they  fall  as  the  leaf 
appears. 

Calyx. — The  outer  whorl  of  floral  envelopes. 

Campanulate. — Bell-shaped. 

Capsule. — A  dry,  usually  dehiscent  fruit,  made  up  of  two  or  more  carpels. 

Carpel. — A  simple  pistil,  or  one  member  of  a  compound  pistil. 

Catkin. — An  anient. 

Cellulose. — A  primary  cell-wall  substance. 

Chlorophyll. — The  green  grains  in  the  cells  of  plants. 

Claw, — The  stalk  or  contracted  base  of  a  petal. 

Cohesion. — The  union  of  members  of  the  same  floral  whorl. 

CoNDUPLiCATE. — Doubled  together.  The  vernation  of  a  leaf  is  condupli- 
cate  when  the  two  sides  are  folded  together  lengthwise,  face  to  face. 

Connate, — Grown  together. 

Connective. — That  portion  of  the  anther  which  connects  the  two  lobes. 

Contorted. — Twisted  together. 

Convolute. — Rolled  up;  applied  to  leaves  that  are  rolled  from  one 
edge. 

Cordate.— Heart-shaped;  applied  to  a  leaf  which  has  a  deeply  indented 
base. 

Coriaceous. — Thickish  and  leathery  in  texture. 

Corolla, — The  inner  whorl  of  floral  envelopes. 

Corymb. — A  flower  cluster  in  which  the  axis  is  shortened  and  the  pedicels  of 
the  lower  flowers  lengthened,  so  as  to  form  a  flat-topped  cluster. 

Corymbose. — Like  a  corymb. 

Cotyledon. — One  of  the  parts  of  the  embryo  performing  in  part  the  func- 
tions of  a  leaf,  but  usually  serving  as  a  storehouse  of  food  for  the  de- 
veloping plant. 

Crenate. — Scalloped. 

Crenulate. — Finely  crenate. 

Cross-fertilization.  — When  the  stigma  of  one  flower  receives  the  pollen 
of  a  different  flower. 

Cruciform. — Applied  to  corollas  of  four  distinct  petals  arranged  in  form 
of  a  cross. 

Cuspidate. — Tipped  with  a  sharp  and  rigid  point. 

Cyme. — A  broad  and  flattish  inflorescence  with  the  central  or  terminal  flowers 
blooming  earliest. 

Deciduous. — Not  persistent;  applied  to  leaves  that  fall  in  autumn  and  to 
calyx  and  corolla  when  they  fall  off  before  the  fruit  develops, 

Decurrent. — Applied  to  leaves  which  are  prolonged  down  the  side  of  the 
petiole. 

Definite. — Limited  or  defined. 

Dehiscence. — The  act  of  splitting  open. 

Deltoid. — Triangular,  somewhat  like  the  Greek  letter  delta. 

520 


GLOSSARY  OF   BOTANICAL   TERMS 

Dentate. — Applied  to  leaves  that  have  their  margins  toothed,  with  the  teeth 

directed  outward. 
DiADELPiious.— Intwo  brotherhoods.      Applied  to  stamens  when  cohering 

by  their  filaments  into  two  sets. 
DiCHOTOMOUS. — P^orking  ;   dividing  into  two  equal  branches. 
Dicotyledon. — A  plant  whose  embryo  has  two  opposite  cotyledons. 
Diffuse. — Widely  spreading. 
Digitate.— Applied  to  a  compound  leaf  in  which  all  the  leaflets  radiate  from 

the  top  of  the  petiole. 
DiCECious.— In  two  households.      With  staminate  and  pistillate  flowers  sep- 
arate and  on  separate  plants. 
Discoid.— Having  the  form  of  a  disc.      Descriptive  of  the  shapes  of  certain 

stigmas,  glands,  etc. 
Disk.— A  development  of  the  receptacle  at  or  around  the  base  of  the  pistil. 
Dissepiment.  — A  partition  in  a  fruit. 
Drupe.— A  fleshy  or  pulpy  fruit  with  the  inner  portion  of  the  pericarp  hard 

or  stony.      A  stone  fruit. 
Duramen.— Heartwood. 
ECHINATE.— Beset  with  prickles. 

Emarginate.  — Notched.     Applied  to  a  leaf  which  is  notched  at  the  apex. 
Embryo.— Applied  in  botany  to  the  tiny  plant  within  the  seed. 
Endocarp. — The  inner  layer  of  the  pericarp. 
Epicarp. — The  outer  layer  of  the  pericarp. 

Epigynous. — Growing  on  the  summit  of  the  ovary,  or  apparently  so. 
Erose. — Irregularly  toothed,  as  if  gnawed. 
Et.^rio.— A  fruit,  the  product  of  a  single  flower,  which  consists  of  small 

aggregated  drupes. 
ExocARP. — The  outer  layer  of  the  pericarp. 
Exserted. — Protruding;   as    stamens    extending    beyond    the    throat    of  a 

corolla. 
ExTRORSE. — Facing  outward.     Applied  to  anthers  which  face  away  from 

the  pistil. 
Falcate. — Curved  or  sickle-shaped. 
Fascicle. — A  bundle.     Applied  to  a  compact  cyme  or  a  compact  cluster  of 

leaves. 
Fertilization. — The  union  which  takes  place  when  the  contents  of  the  pol- 
len cell  enters  the  ovule. 
FiBRO-VASCULAR  BUNDLES.— The  bundles  of  vascular  tissues  of  plants. 
Filament. — The  stalk  which  supports  the  anther. 
Filiform.— Thread-like. 
FoLiACEOUS. — Leaf-like. 
Fugacious.— Soon  falling  off. 

Galbulus. — A  berry-like  cone,  as  the  fruit  of  the  Juniper. 
Gamopetalous.  — Having  the  petals  more  or  less  united. 
Gamosepai.ous. — Having  the  sepals  more  or  less  united. 

521 


GLOSSARY  OF  BOTANICAL  TERMS 

Germination. — The  sprouting  of  a  seed. 

Gibbous, — Swollen  on  one  side. 

Glabrous. — Smooth  ;   destitute  of  hairs. 

Glands. — A  secreting  surface  or  structure;  a  protuberance  having  the  ap- 
pearance of  such  an  organ. 

Glans. — A  nut. 

Glaucous. — Covered  or  whitened  with  a  bloom. 

Globose. — Spherical  or  nearly  so. 

Gymnosperms. — Plants  bearing  naked  seeds  ;   without  an  ovary. 

Gyncecium. — The  pistils  of  a  flower  taken  as  a  whole. 

Habitat. — The  geographical  range  of  a  plant. 

Head. — A  compact  cluster  of  nearly  sessile  flowers. 

HiLUM. — The  point  of  attachment  of  an  ovule  or  seed. 

Hispid. — Bristly. 

Hybrid. — A  cross  between  two  species. 

Hypogynous. — Situated  on  the  receptacle,  beneath  the  ovary  and  free  from 
it  and  from  the  calyx.      Applied  to  petals  and  stamens. 

Imbricate. — Overlapping. 

Incised. — Cut  sharply  and  deeply. 

Included. — Applied  to  stamens  or  pistils  that  do  not  project  beyond  the 
corolla. 

Indefinite. — Applied  to  petals  or  other  organs  when  too  numerous  to  be 
conveniently  counted. 

Indehiscent. — Not  splitting  open. 

Indigenous. — Native  to  the  country. 

Inferior. — Applied  to  an  ovary  which  has  an  adherent  calyx. 

Inflorescence. — The  flowering  part  of  a  plant. 

Innate. — Applied  to  anthers  which  are  attached  by  their  base  to  the  apex  of 
the  filament. 

Inserted. — Attached  to  or  growing  out  of. 

Internode, — The  portion  of  a  stem  between  two  nodes. 

Introrse. — Facing  inward  ;  applied  to  stamens  that  face  toward  the 
pistil. 

Involucel, — A  secondary  involucre. 

Involucre.  —  A  collection  of  bracts  at  the  base  of  a  flower  cluster  or  of  a  sin- 
gle flower. 

Involute. — A  form  of  vernation  in  which  the  leaf  is  rolled  inward  from  its 
edges. 

Lanceolate. — Applied  to  leaves  which  are  slender,  broadest  near  the 
base  and  narrowed  to  the  apex. 

Leaflet.  —A  single  division  of  a  compound  leaf. 

Legume. — A  fruit  formed  of  a  simple  pistil  and  usually  splitting  open  by 
both  sutures. 

Lenticels. — Small  oval  dots  which  appear  upon  the  branches. 

Liber. — The  inner  layer  of  the  bark. 

522 


GLOSSARY   OF   BOTANICAL   TERMS 

Ligneous. — Woody. 

Limb. — The  spreading  portion  of  a  gamophyllus  calyx  or  corolla. 

Linear. — Applied  to  an    organ  with  parallel  margins  that  is  many  times 

longer  than  broad. 
Lobe. — Any  segment  of  an  organ. 

LOCULICI DALLY.— Dehiscent  through  the  back  of  a  cell  of  a  capsule. 
Medulla. — The  pith. 

Medull.\ry  Rays.  —  Rays  of  fundamental  tissue  which  connect  the  pith  with 
the  bark. 

Membranous,  Membranaceous. — Thin  and  rather  soft,  more  or  less  trans- 
lucent. 

Mesocarp. — The  middle  layer  of  the  pericarp. 

Metabolism. — The  o.xydizing  processes  that  go  on  in  the  living  plant. 

Midrib. — The  central  or  main  rib  of  a  leaf. 

MoNADELPHOUS.— In  one   brotherhood.       Applied   to    stamens    which  are 
united  by  their  filaments  into  one  set. 

MoNOCOTYLEDONOUS. — Possessing  but  one  cotyledon  or  seed  leaf. 

MoNCECious.— In  one  household.     Applied  to  plants  which  have  separate 
staminate  and  pistillate  flowers,  but  both  borne  on  the  same  plant. 

Mucronate. — Tipped  with  a  small  soft  point. 

Multiple  Fruit.— A  fruit  composed  of  numerous  small  fruits,  each   the 
product  of  a  separate  flower  ;  e.x.  mulberry. 

Nectary. — The  honey  gland  or  honey  repository  of  a  flower. 

Nerved. — Veined. 

Node — The  point  on  a  stem  of  a  plant  from  which  the  leaf  develops. 

Obconic— Conic  with  the  point  of  attachment  at  the  apex. 

Obcordate. — Inversely  heart-shaped. 

Oblanceolate. — Inversely  lanceolate. 

Oblong. — Considerably  longer  than  broad,  with  flowing  outline. 

Obtuse. — Blunt,  rounded. 

Oval. — Broadly  elliptical. 

Ovary. — The  part  of  the  pistil  that  contains  the  ovules. 

Ovoid. — Egg-shaped.     Applied  to  solid  bodies. 

Ovule. — The  rudimentary  seed. 

Panicle. — A  compound  raceme. 

Papilionaceous. — A  term  descriptive  of  such  flowers  as  those  of  the  Pea. 

Parted. — Cleft  nearly  but  not  quite  to  the  base  or  midrib. 

Pedicel. — The  stem  of  an  individual  flower  of  a  cluster. 

Peduncle. — A  flower  stalk. 

Perfect. — Applied  to  a  flower  which  has  both  pistil  and  stamens. 

Perianth. — A  term  applied  to  the  floral  envelopes  taken  as  a  whole. 

Paricarp. — The  walls  of  the  ripened  ovary,  the  part  of  the  fruit  that  en- 
closes the  seeds. 

Perigynous. — Borne  around  the  pistil  instead  o(  at  its  base.      Applied  to 
stamens  and  petals  borne  on  the  throat  of  the  calyx. 

523 


GLOSSARY  OF  BOTANICAL  TERMS 

Persistent. — Long  continuous,  applied  to  leaves  that  remain  on  the  tree 

over  winter  and  to  a  calyx  that  remains  until  the  fruit  ripens. 
Petal. — One  of  the  leaves  of  the  corolla. 
Petiole. — The  stem  of  a  leaf. 
Pinna  (pi.  pinnae). — One  of  the  primary  divisions  of  a  pinnately  compound 

leaf. 
Pinnate. — Applied  to  compound  leaves  where  the  leaflets  are  arranged  on 

each  side  of  a  common  petiole. 
Pistil. — The  modified  leaf  or  leaves  which  bear  the  ovules  ;   usually  con- 
sisting of  ovary,  style  and  stigma. 
Pistillate. — Applied  to  flowers  that  possess  pistils  but  not  stamens. 
Plicate. — Folded  like  a  fan. 
Plumule. — The  primary  bud  of  the  embryo. 
Pollen. — The  fertilizing  powder  produced  by  the  anther. 
Polygamous. — Applied  to  plants  which  produce  staminate,  pistillate,  and 

perfect  flowers  all  on  the  same  plant. 
Protoplasm. — The  living  matter  of  the  cell. 
Pubescent. — Downy,  covered  with  soft  hairs. 
Raceme. — A  simple  inflorescence  of  pedicelled  flowers  upon  a  common,  more 

or  less,  elongated  axis, 
Rachis. — The  axis  of  inflorescence. 
Radicle. — The  primary  root  of  the  embryo. 

Receptacle. — The  shortened  stem  on  which  the  floral  organs  are  inserted. 
Reduplicate. — Doubled  back. 
Reflexed. — Bent  outward. 

Repand. — Leaf  margin  toothed  like  the  margin  of  an  umbrella. 
Revolute. — Rolled  backward. 
Rotate. — Flat  circular  disk;   applied  to  corollas. 

Samara. — An  indehiscent  dry  fruit  provided  with  a  wing-like  appendage. 
Secund. — Flowers  arranged  along  one  side  of  a  lengthened  axis. 
Sepal. — One  of  the  leaves  of  the  outer  whorl  of  floral  organs. 
Serrate. — Toothed,  with  sharp  teeth  projecting  forward. 
Sinuate. — Wavy. 

Sinus. — The  cleft  between  two  lobes. 
Spatulate. — Resembling  a  spatula  in  outline. 
Spike. — A  form  of  simple  inflorescence  in  which  the  flowers  are  sessile  or 

nearly  so,  borne  upon  a  lengthened  axis.      The  lower   flowers  bloom 

first. 
Spray, — The  ultimate  division  of  a  branch. 
Stamen. — The  pollen-bearing    organ    of  the  flower,   usually  consisting  of 

filament  and  anther. 
Staminate. — Applied  to  flowers  which  have  stamens  but  not  pistils. 
Sterigma.     pi.    Sterigmata. — The  woody  base  upon  which  the  leaves  of 

many  of  the  evergreens  are  borne. 
Stigma. — That  part  of  the  pistil  which  receives  the  pollen. 

524 


GLOSSARY   OF   BOTANICAL   TERMS 

Stipe. — The  stalk  possessed  by  some  pistils. 

Stipulk.— One  of  the  blade-like  bodies  at  the  base  of  the  petiole  of  leaves. 

Stoma,  pi.  Stomata.— A  breathing  pore  found  in  the  epidermis  of  the 
higher  plants. 

Strobile.— A  compact  flcnver  cluster  with  large  scales  concealing  the 
flowers.  When  this  cluster  matures  and  contains  seeds  it  is  still  called 
a  strobile. 

Style.— That  part  of  the  pistil  which  connects  the  ovary  with  the  stigma. 

Superior.— Applied  to  an  ovary  that  is  not  at  all  adherent  to  the  calyx. 

Syncarp. — A  multiple  fruit. 

Taproot.— The  main  root  or  downward  continuation  of  the  plant  a.xis. 

Terete. — Nearly  cylindrical. 

Terminal.— Placed  at  the  end. 

Thyrse  or  Thyrsus.— A  compact  panicle. 

Tom entose.— Applied  to  surfaces  which  are  covered  with  matted  hairs. 

Tomentum. — Matted  hairs. 

Torus. — Another  name  for  receptacle. 

Truncate.— Ending  abruptly  as  if  cut  oflf. 

Trvma.— A   drupe-like  fruit   which    is  commonly    two-celled,   has  a   bony 

nucleus  and  thick,  fibrous  epicarp. 
Turbinate.— Top-shaped. 
Umbel.— A  flower  cluster  in  which  the  axis  is  very  short  and  the  pedicels 

radiate  from  it. 
Undulate. — Wavy. 

Valvate. — Meeting  by  the  edges  without  overlapping. 
Vascular. — Possessing  vessels  or  ducts. 
Vein. — Thread  of  fibro- vascular  tissue  in  a  leaf. 
Veinlet.— Small  vein. 

Venation.— The  system  of  veins  as  that  of  a  leaf. 
Vernation.— The  arrangement  of  the  leaves  in  the  bud. 
Versatile. — Applied  to  an  anther  that  turns  freely  on  its  support. 
Villous. — Covered  with  long,  soft,  shaggy  hairs. 
Whorl. — An  arrangement  of  organs  in  a  circle  about  a  central  axis. 


525 


INDEX   OF   LATIN   NAMES 


Abies  balsamea,  480 
Acer  barbatum,  66 
Acer  dasycarpuin,  j'^ 
Acer  negando,  85 
Acer  pennsylvanicum,  60 
Acer  platanoides,  82 
Acer  pseudo-platanus,  82 
Acer  rubrum,  'jj 
Acer  saccharinuni,  ']^ 
Acer  saccharum,  66 
Acer  saccharum  nigrum,  65 
Acer  spicatum,  64 
Aceracene,  60 
.^sculus  glabra,  50 
^sculus  hippocastanum,  54 
-(Esculus  octandra,  54 
^-Esculus  pavia,  59 
vEsculus  rubicunda,  59 
Ailanthus  glandulosa,  36 
Alnus  glutinosa,  314 
Amelanchier  alnifolia,  154 
Amelanchier  canadensis,   153 
Anacardiaceas,  88 
Annonaceae,  20 
Aquifoliaceee,  41 
Aralia  spinosa,  165 
Araliaceas,  165 
Asimina  triloba,  20 

Betula,  295 
Betula  alba,  300 
Betula  lenta,  311 
Betula  lutea,  310 
Betula  nigra,  306 
Betula  papyrifera,  302 
Betula  populifolia,  297 
Betulaceas,  295 
Bignoniaceae,  225 

Caprifoliace^,  181 
Carpinus  caroliniana,  319 


Carya  alba,  282 
Carya  amara,  279 
Carya  microcarpa,  290 
Carya  porcina,  290 
Carya  tomentosa,  286 
Castanea  dentata,  386 
Castanea  pumila,  392 
Castanea  vesca,  386 
Catalpa  bignonioides,  225 
Catalpa  catalpa,  225 
Catalpa  speciosa,  228 
Celastracece,  46 
Celtis  occidentalis,  249 
Cercis  canadensis,  10^ 
Chamascyparis  sphaeroidea,  489 
Chionanthus  virginica,  222 
Cladastris  lutea,  116 
Coniferri2,  439 
Cornaceas,  169 
Cornus  alternifolia,   175 
Cornus  florida,  169 
Cotinus  cotinoides,  92 
Crataegus  coccinea,   143 
Crataegus  crus-galli,  140 
Crataegus  mollis,  144 
Crataegus  oxyacantha,  142 
Crataegus  punctata,  150 
Crataegus  tomentosa,  148 
Cupressus  thyoides,  489 
Cupuliferae,  323 

Dicotvledones,  I 
Diospyros  kaki,  198 
Diospyros  virginiana,  195 

Ebenace^,  195 
Ericaceae,  i86 

Euonymus  atropurpureus,  46 
Evonymus  atropurpureus,  46 

Fagace^,  378 

Fagus  atropunicca,  378 


527 


INDEX    OF   LATIN    NAMES 


Fagus  ferruginea,  378 
Fraxinus  aniericana,  206 
Fraxinus  lanceolata,  214 
Fraxinus  nigra,  218 
Fraxinus  pennsylvanica,  212 
Fraxinus  pubescens,  212 
Fraxinus  quadrangulata,  214 
Fraxinus  sambucifolia,  218 

Ginkgo  biloba,  499 
Gleditsia  triacanthos,  112 
Gymnocladus  dioicus,   109 

Halesia  tetraptera,  200 
Hamamelidaceas,   157 
Hamamelis  virginiana,   157 
Hicoria  alba,  286 
Hicoria  glabra,  290 
Hicoria  laciniosa,  286 
Hicoria  minima,  279 
Hicoria  ovata,  282 
Hippocastanaceas,  50 

Ilex  monticola,  45 
Ilex  opaca,  41 

JUGLANDACE^,    269 

Juglans  cinerea,  274 
Juglans  nigra,  269 
Juglans  regia,  272 
Juniperus  communis,  492 
Juniperus  virginiana,  496 

Kalmia  angustifolia,  189 
Kalmia  latifolia,  186 

LaRIX   AMERICANA,  476 

Larix  europaea,  480 
Larix  laricina,  476 
Lauraceae,  229 
Leguminosae,  97 
Liquidambar  styraciflua,  160 
Liriodendron  tulipifera,  14 

Maclura  aurantiaca,  258 
Magnolia  acuminata,  9 
Magnolia  glauca,  3 
Magnolia  tripetala,  5 
Magnoliaceae,  3 
Mohrodendron  carolinum,  200 
Mohrodendron  dipterum,  202 
Moracege,  253 


Morus  aiba,  258 
Morus  nigra,  254 
Morus  rubra,  253 

Negundo  aceroides,  85 
Nyssa  sylvatica,  177 

Oleace^,  206 
Ostrya  virginiana,  316 
Oxydendrum  arboreum,   192 

PiCEA    ALBA,  464 

Picea  canadensis,  464 

Picea  excelsa,  473 

Picea  mariana,  470 

Picea  nigra,  470 

Picea  rubens,  468 

Pinaceae,  439 

Pinus,  440 

Pinus  divaricata,  460 

Pinus  echinata,  458 

Pinus  laricio  austriaca,  46s 

Pinus  palustris,  44  j 

Pinus  resinosa,  450 

Pinus  rigida,  454 

Pinus  strobus,  443 

Pinus  sylvestris,  464 

Pinus  taeda,  452 

Pinus  virginiana,  456 

Platanacece,  263 

Platanus  occidentalis,  263 

Populus,  410 

Populus  alba,  428 

Populus  angulata,  426 

Populus  balsamifera,  422 

Populus  balsamifera  candicans.  424 

Populus  deltoides,   426 

Populus  grandidentata,  418 

Populus  heterophylla,  419 

Populus  monilifera,  426 

Populus  nigra  italica,   432 

Populus  tremuloides,  413 

Prunus  americana,  120 

Prunus  caroliniana,   132 

Prunus  nigra,   119 

Prunus  pennsylvanica,   122 

Prunus  serotina,  128 

Prunus  virginiana.   125 

Ptelea  trifoliata,  32 

Pyrus  americana,  136 

Pyrus  aucuparia,  138 


53§ 


INDEX    OF   LATIN   NAMES 


Pyrus  coronaria,  133 
Pyrus  sambucitolia,  140 

QuERCUs,  323 
Quercus  acuminata,  342 
Quercus  alba,  328 
Quercus  bicolor,  346 
Quercus  coccinea,  354 
Quercus  digitata,  362 
Quercus  ilicifolia,  366 
Quercus  imbricaria,  372 
Quercus  macrocarpa,  335 
Quercus  marilandica,  370 
Quercus  minor,  332 
Quercus  nigra,  370 
Quercus  palustris,  365 
Quercus  phellos  375 
Quercus  platanoides,  346 
Quercus  prinoides,  344 
Quercus  prinus,  338 
Quercus  pumila,  366 
Quercus  rubra,  349 
Quercus  tinctoria,  357 
Quercus  velutina,  357 

Rhamnace^,  49 

Rhamnus  caroliniana,  49 

Rhododendron  maximum,  189 

Rhus  copallina,  91 

Rhus  coriaria,  92 

Rhus  glabra,  91 

Rhus  hirta,  88 

Rhus  typhina,  88 

Rhus  venenata,  94 

Rhus  vernix.  94 

Robinia  pseudacacia,  97 

Robinia  viscosa,   103 

Rosaceas,  119 

Rutaceae,  32 


Salicace^.  393 
Salisburia  adiantifolia,  499 
Salix  alba,  405 
Salix  amygdaloides,   398 
Salix  babylonica,  409 
Salix  bebbiana,  401 
Salix  ccerulea,  405 
Salix  discolor,  403 
Salix  fluviatalis.  400 
Salix  fragilis,  405 
Salix  lucida,  398 
Salix  nigra,  395 
Salix  rostrata,  401 
Salix  vitellina,  405 
Sassafras  sassafras,  229 
Simaroubaceae,  36 
Styracaceas,  200 

TAXACEiE,  499 
Taxodium  distichum,  484 
Thuja  occidentalis,  486 
Tilia  americana,  24 
Tilia  europaea,  30 
Tilia  heterophylla,  30 
Tilia  pubescens,  30 
Tiliacece,  24 
Toxylon  pomiferum,  258 
Tsuga  canadensis,  474 

Ulmace^,  233 
Ulmus  alata,  246 
Ulmus  americana,  233 
Ulmus  campestris,  248 
Ulmus  fulva,  240 
Ulmus  pubescens,  240 
Ulmus  racemosa,  242 

Viburnum  lentago,  181 
Viburnum  prumfolium,  184 


52g 


INDEX  OF  COMMON  NAMES 


Abele-tree,  428 
Acacia,  97 
Ailanthus,  36 
Alder,  314 
Alligator-wcod,  164 
Almond  leaf  Willow,  398 
Alternate-leaved  Dogwood,  175 
American  Elm,  233 
Angelica-tree,  165 
Arborvitae,  486 
Ash-leaved  Maple,  85 
Aspen,  413 

Aspen-leaved  Birch,  297 
Austrian  Pine,  462 

Bald  Cypress,  484 
Balm  of  Gilead,  422 
Balsam,  422 
Balsam  Fir,  480 
Barren  Oak,  370 
Basswood,  24 
Bear  Oak,  366 
Beaver-wood,  5 
Bebb  Willow,  401 
Beech  Family,  378 
Big  Bud  Hickory,  286 
Big  Shellbark,  286 
Bignonia  Family,  225 
Birch  Family,  295 
Bird  Cherry,  122 
Bitternut,  279 
Black  Ash,  218 
Black  Birch,  311 
Black  Cherry,  128 
Black  Cottonwood,  419 
Black  Haw,  184 
Black  ]ack,  370 
Black  Maple,  66 


Black  Mulberry,  254 
Black  Oak,  357 
Black  Poplar,  410 
Black  Spruce,  470 
Black  Thorn,  148 
Black  Walnut,  269 
Black  Willow,  395 
Blue  Ash,  214 
Blue  Beech,  319 
Blue  Willow,  405 
Box  Elder,   85 
Buckeye,  50 
Buckthorn  Family,  49 
Bur  Oak,  335 
Burning  Bush,  46 
Butternut,  274 
Buttonwood,  263 

Canada  Balsam,  482 
Canada  Plum,  119 
Canadian  Pine,  450 
Canoe  Birch,  302 
Canoe-wood,  16 
Carolina  Poplar,  428 
Catalpa,  225 
Chestnut,  386 
Chestnut  Oak,  338-342 
Chicot,  no 
Chinquapin,  342-392 
Chinquapin  Oak,  344 
Choke  Cherry,  125 
Clammy  Locust,  103 
Cockspur  Thorn,  14c 
Conifer,  439 
Copper  Beech,  383 
Cork  Elm,  242 
Cottonwood,  426 
Crab  Apple,  133 


530 


INDEX   OF   COMMON    NAMES 


Crack  Willow,  405 
Cucumber-tree,  9 
Custard  Apple  Family,  20 

Deciduous  Cypress,  484 
Dogwood  Family,  169 
Dotted  Haw,  150 
Downy  Linden,  30 
Downy  Poplar,  419 
Dwarf  Sumach,  91 

Ebony  Family,  195 
Elm  Family,  233 
English  Elm,  248 
European  Larch,  480 
European  Mountain  Ash,  138 

Fetid  Buckeye,  50 
Flowering  Dogwood,  169 
Fragrant  Crab,  133 
Fringe-tree,  222 

Ginkgo,  499 
Ginseng  Family,  165 
Glaucous  Willow,  403 
Gray  Birch,  297-310 
Gray  Pine,  460 
Great  Laurel,  189 
Green  Ash,  214 
Ground  Cedar,  492 

Hackberry,  249 
Hacmatack,  476 
Hawthorn,  144-148 
Hemlock,  474 
Hercules'  Club,  165 
Hickory,  276 
Holly,  41 

Honey  Locust,  112 
Honey  Shucks,  112 
Honeysuckle  Family,  181 
Hop  Hornbeam,  316 
Hop-tree,  32 
Hornbeam.  319 
Horse-chestnut,  54 
Horse-chestnut  Family,  50 

Indian  Bean,  225 
Indian  Cherry,  49 
Ironwood,  316 


Jack  Pine,  460 
Jersey  Pine,  456 
Judas-tree,  104 
June-berry,  153 
Juniper,  492 

Kalmia,  186 

Kentucky  Coffee-tree,  109 

Lambkill,  189 
Larch,  480 

Large-toothed  Aspen,  417 
Laurel  Family,  229 
Laurel  Oak,  372 
Lime-tree,  24 
Linden,  24 
Liquidamber,  i6o 
Loblolly  Pine,  452 
Locust,  97 

Lombardy  Poplar,  432 
Longleaf  Willow,  400 

Magnolia  Family,  3 
Mahogany  Birch,  311 
Maple  Family,  60 
Mockernut,  286 
Moosewood,  60 
Mossy-cup  Oak,  335 
Mountain  Ash,   136 
Mountain  Holly,  45 
Mountain  Laurel,  186 
Mountain  Maple,  64 
Mountain  Sumach,  91 
Mountain  Magnolia,  9 
Mulberry  Family,  253 

Nettle  tree,  249 
Newcastle  Thorn,   14c 
Norway  Maple,  82 
Norway  Pine,  450 
Norway  Spruce,  475 

Oak  Family,  323 
Ohio  Buckeye,  50 
Old  Field  Birch,  300 
Old  Field  Pine,  452 
Olive  Family,  206 
Osage  Orange,  258 

Pa  PAW,  20 
Paper  Birch,  302 

531 


INDEX   OF   COMMON    NAMES 


Pea  Family,  97 
Peach  Willow,  398 
Pepperidge,  177 
Persimmon,  195 
Pignut,  290 
Pin  Oak,  365 
Pine,  440 
Pitch  Pine,  454 
Plane  Tree  Family,  263 
Poison  Dogwood,  94 
Poison  Sumach,  94 
Poplar,  410 
Post  Oak,  332 
Pussy  Willow,  403 

Quaking  Asp,  413 

Red  Ash,  212 

Red  Birch,  306 

Redbud,  104 

Red  Cedar,  496 

Red  Elm,  240 

Red  Horse-chestnut,  59 

Red  Maple,  77 

Red  Mulberry,  253 

Red  Oak,  349 

Red  Pine,  454 

Red  Plum,   119 

Red  Spruce,  468 

Rhododendron,  189 

River  Birch,  306 

Roan-tree,  138 

Rock  Chestnut  Oak,  338 

Rock  Elm,  242 

Rock  Maple,  66 

Rose  Bay,  189 

Rose  Family,  119 

Rowan-tree,  138 

Rue  Family,  32 

Sandbar  Willow,  400 
Sassafras,  229 
Savin,  496 

Scarlet-fruited  Thorn,  143 
Scarlet  Haw,  143-144 
Scarlet  Oak,  354 
Scotch  Fir,  464 
Scotch  Pine,  464 
Scrub  Chestnut  Oak,  344 
Scrub  Oak,  366 
Scrub  Pine,  456-460 


Service-berry.  153 
Shad  Bush,  153 
Shagbark,  282 
Sheepberry,  181 
Shellbark  Hickory,  282 
Shingle  Oak,  372 
Shining  Willow,  398 
Short  leaf  Pine,  458 
Silverbell-tree,  200 
Silver  Maple,  ']-^ 
Slippery  Elm,  240 
Small-leaved  Basswood,  30 
Small  Magnolia,  3 
Smoke-tree,  92 
Smooth  Sumach,  91 
Snowdrop-tree,  202 
Soft  Maple,  73-77 
Sorrel-tree,  192 
Sour  Gum,  177 
Sourwood,  192 
Spanish  Oak,  362 
Spindle-tree,  46 
Spruce  Pine,  458 
Stag  Bush,  184 
Staghoni  Sumach,  88 
Storax  Family.  200 
Striped  Maple,  60 
Stump-tree,   109 
Sugarberry,  249 
Sugar  Maple,  66 
Sumach  Family,  88 
Swamp  Cottonwood,  419 
Swamp  Hickory,  279 
Swamp  Magnolia,  3 
Swamp  Maple,  ']'] 
Swamp  Spanish  Oak,  365 
Swamp  White  Oak,  346 
Sweet  Bay,  3 
Sweet  Birch,  311 
Sweet  Buckeye,  54 
Sweet  Gum,  160 
Sweet  Viburnum,  181 
Sycamore,   263 
Sycamore  Maple,  82 

Tacmahac,  422 
Tamarack,  476 
Torch  Pine,  454 
Tree  of  Heaven,  36 
Tulip-tree,   14 
Tupelo,  177 


532 


INDEX    OF    COMMON    NAMES 


Umbkella-tkee,  5 

Velvet  Sumach, 88 
Virgilia,  ii6 

Waahoo,  46 
Wafer  Ash,  32 
VVahoo,   246 
Walnut  Family,   269 
Water  Elm,   233 
Weeping  Willow,  409 
Weymouth  Pine,  443 
White  Ash,  206 
White  Basswood,  30 
White  Birch,   297-302 
White  Cedar,  486-489 
White  Elm,  233 
White  Maple,  73 
White  Mulberry,  258 
White  Oak,  328 
White  Pine,  443 
White  Poplar,  428 


White  Spruce,  464 
White  Thorn,  143 
White  Walnut,  274 
White  Willow,  405 
White  wood,   16 
Wild  Cherry,  125 
Wild  Plum,  120 
Wild  Red  Cherry,   122 
Willow  Family,  393 
Willow  Oak,  375 
Winged  Elm,  246 
Witch  Hazel,   157 

Yellow  Birch,  310 
Yellow  Locust,  97 
Yellow  Oak,  342-357 
Yellow  Pine,  458 
Yellow  Poplar,   14 
Yellow  Willow,  405 
Yellow-wood,  116 
Yew  Family,  499 
Yggdrasil,  221 


533 


Books  on  Flowers,  Animals 
and  Birds 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS,  Publishers 


With  32  colored  plates 

ACCORDING  TO  SEASON 

Talks  about  the  Flowers   in  the  order  of 
their  appearance  in  the  Woods  and  Fields 

By  FRANCES  THEODORA  PARSONS 

Author  of  "How   to   Know  the  Wild   Flowers,"  "How   to   Know   the 
Ferns,"  etc. 

With  32  full-page  illustrations  from  drawings  in  colors  by 
Elsie  Louise  Shaw.  i2mo,  $1.75  net;  postage 
14.  cents. 

CONTENTS: 


I. 

Introductory 

VII.       "  The  Leafy  Month    of 

TT 

Winter 

June" 

TIT. 

Early  Glimpses 

VIII.     A  Long  Island  Meadow 

IV. 

Spring  in  the  City 

IX.         Midsummer 

\T 

A  Spring  Holiday 
May  Notes 

X.           Early  August 

VT. 

XL        Golden  Rod  and  Aster 

XII. 

Autumn 

♦*  The  charm  of  this  book  is  as  pervading  and  enduring  as 
is  the  charm  of  nature." — N.  V.   Times. 

Mrs.  Parsons' s  book  is  designed  as  a  companion  volume, 
uniform  in  size,  to  her  extremely  popular  books,  "  How  to 
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chapters  were  published  a  number  of  years  ago  in  a  small 
volume,  under  the  same  title  and  without  illustrations. 


By  Mrs.  William  Starr  Dana 


HOW    TO     KNOW    THE    WILD 
FLOWERS 

By   MRS.   ^VILLIAM    STARR   DANA 

With  48  Colored  Plates  and  New  Black  and  White 
Drawings,  Enlarged,  Rewritten  and  Entirely  Reset 


A  Guide  to  the  Names,  Haunts,  and  Habits  of  our  Native 
Wild  Flowers.  With  48  full-page  colored  plates  by 
Elsie  Louise  Shaw,  and  no  full-page  illustrations 
by  Marion  Satterlee.  Sixtieth  Thousand. 
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Shaw,  made  especially  for  this  edition.  '  The  Nation  says : 
"  Every  flower-lover  who  has  spent  weary  hours  puzzling  over 
a  botanical  key  in  the  efforts  to  name  unknown  plants,  will 
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for  outdoor  folks  who  live  in  the  country  but  know  little  of  systematic  botany, 
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who  have  eyes  to  see  and  minds  to  question."— 77/^  New  York  Times. 

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is   a   great    help    to    ready    reference,  and  the  illustrations  are  invaluable." 

— Olive  Thome  Miller. 

"  Mrs.  Dana  is  a  lover  of  outdoor  life;  her  heart  is  in  what  she  describes. 
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cellent illustrations,  nearly  all  of  which  are  original  drawings  from  nature." 

—Nature  Notes,  London. 


By  Frances  Theodora  Parsons  (Mrs.  Dana) 


HOW  TO    KNOW  THE    FERNS 

A  Guide  to  the  Names,  Haunts,  and  Habits  of  our  Native 
Ferns.  By  Frances  Theodora  Parsons  (Mrs. 
Dana).  With  144  full-page  illustrations,  and  6  full- 
page  illustrations  from  photographs.  Crown  8vo, 
^1.50  net. 

"  Since  the  publication,  six  years  ago,  of  '  How  to  Know  the  Wild 
Flowers,'  I  have  received  such  convincing  testimony  of  the  eagerness  of 
nature-lovers  of  all  ages  and  conditions  to  familiarize  themselves  with 
the  inhabitants  of  our  woods  and  fields,  and  so  many  assurances  of  the 
joy  which  such  a  familiarity  affords,  that  I  have  prepared  this  companion 
volume  on  '  How  to  Know  the  Ferns.'  It  has  been  my  experience  that  the 
world  of  delight  which  opens  before  us  when  we  are  admitted  into  some  sort 
of  intimacy  with  our  companions  other  than  human,  is  enlarged  with  each 
new  society  into  which  we  win  our  way."— /^r£7»^  the  Author's  Preface. 

"  Of  the  ferns,  as  the  flowers,  she  writes  as  one  who  not  only  knows  but 
loves  them.  The  charm  of  her  fern-book  is  as  irresistible  and  pervading  as 
is  the  charm  of  nature  itself.  This  gifted  and  enthusiastic  naturalist  knows 
the  ferns  literally  Mike  a  book,'  and  her  book  makes  the  first  lesson  of  the 
novice  in  the  lore  of  fern-life  an  easy  and  a  delightful  task." 

—New  York  Mail  and  Express. 

"This  is  a  notably  thorough  liule  volume.  The  text  is  not  voluminous, 
and  even  with  its  many  full-page  illustrations  the  book  is  small  ;  but  brevity, 
as  we  are  glad  to  see  so  many  writers  on  nature  learning,  is  the  first  of  virtues 
in  this  field.  .  .  .  The  author  of  '  How  to  Know  the  Ferns  '  has  mastered 
her  subject,  and  she  treats  of  it  with  authority."— 7Vi?zw  York  Tribune. 

"The  inspiration  that  entered  into  and  made  '  How  to  Know  the  Wild 
Flowers'  so  deservedly  popular  has  not  been  lost  in  'How  to  Know  the 
Ferns.'  '"—New  York  Times. 

•'After  a  delightful  introductory  chapter  on  'Ferns  as  a  Hobby,'  the 
author  goes  on  to  the  explanation  of  terms,  to  the  fertilization,  development, 
and  fructification  of  ferns,  the  notable  fern  families,  and  the  description  of 
individual  ferns.  The  illustrations,  by  camera  and  pencil,  are  numerous  and 
exceedingly  fine,  completing  a  book  that  must  prove  a  lasting  delight  to  all 
nature-lovers."— ^cJi-Z^w  Evening^  Transcript. 

A  SELECTION  OF  FIFTY  PLATES 

From  ''How  to  Know  the  Wild  Flowers."  Printed  on 
Special  Paper  suitable  for  Coloring  by  Hand.  The 
set,  in  a  portfolio,  $1.00  net. 


By  Ernest  Thompson  Seton 


LIVES  OF  THE  HUNTED 

Author  of  ''Wild  Animals  I  Have  Known,"  etc.  Illiis- 
"rated  with  more  than  200  drawings  by  the  author. 
Eightieth  Thousand.  $1.75  net ;  postage  75  cents. 


CONTENTS: 

Krag,  the  Kootenay  Ram. 

A  Street  Troubadour,  Being  the  Adventures  of  a  Cock  Sparrow. 

Johnny  Bear. 

The  Mother  Teal  and  the  Overland  Route. 

Chink,  the  Development  of  a  Pup. 

The  Kangaroo  Rat. 

Tito,  the  Story  of  a  Coyote  that  Learned  How. 

Why  the  Chickadee  Goes  Crazy  Once  a  Year. 


OPINIONS 

"Surely  no  more  entertaining  book  could  be  devised  for  children  of  all 
2i%^9,:''— Chicago  Post. 

"This  story  ('Krag')  of  the  monarch  of  the  Big  Horns  will  strike  the 
average  reader  as  among  the  best  things  that  Mr.  Seton-Thompson  has  done." 

—N.  Y.  Tribune. 

"  The  breadth  of  Mr.  Seton-Thompson's  sympathy  is  the  finest  charm  of 
his  wox'ky— Agnes  Repplier,  in  Saturday  Eventing  Post. 

"  Every  admirer  of  Ernest  Seton-Thompson's  animal  stories  will  hail  with 
pleasure  his  new  volume,  '  Lives  of  the  Hunted  '  of  the  same  nature  as  '  Wild 
Animals  I  Have  Known'  and  shows  the  same  sympathetic  insight  and 
genuine  literary  touch.  His  stories  are  as  truly  literature  as  'The  Jungle 
Books.'  ''—Chicago  Record-Herald. 

"It  is  a  delightful  volume,  full  of  a  charm  that  will  be  felt  all  the  more 
keenly  if  the  reader  has  any  love  for  the  wild  life  of  nature  and  finds  pleas- 
ure in  everything  that  brings  one  in  touch  with  her  varying  moods.  It  is  one 
of  those  unusual  books  in  whose  pages  the  older  as  well  as  the  younger  reader 
feels  equally  at  home.  It  is  strong,  vivid,  full  of  fascinating  description,  and 
breathes  in  every  page  a  deep  and  reverent  love  of  nature  and  of  the  myriad 
life  that  rests  in  the  care  of  the  angel  of  the  wild  'Cam%?,.'" — Brooklyn  Eagle. 

"  The  charming  animal  biographies  which  have  made  the  name  of  Seton- 
Thompson  famous  the  world  over  are  continued  in  this  volume  with  all  the 
spirit  and  truthfulness  of  their  predecessors  and  the  admirable  drawings  with 
which  the  stories  are  illustrated  are  reproduced  here  with  the  perfect  copying 
effected  by  the  latest  and  best  photo-print  process. 

— Philadelphia  Evening  Telegraph. 


WILD  ANIMALS   I    HAVE    KNOWN 

Being  the  Personal  Histories  of  Lobo  the  Wolf,  Silverspot 
the  Crow,  Raggyliig  the  Rabbit,  Bingo  my  Dog,  the 
Springfield  Fox,  The  Pacing  Mustang,  Wully  the  Yaller 
Dog,  and  Redruff  the  Partridge.  With  200  illustra- 
tions from  drawings  by  the  author.  One  Hundred 
and  Fifth  Thousand.     Square  i2mo,  ^2.00. 


CRITICAL   NOTICES 

"  It  should  be  put  with  Kipling  and  Hans  Christian  Andersen  as  a  classic." 

—  The  Athenceum. 

"Mr.  Thompson  is  now  drawing  the  best  mammals  of  any  American  artist. 
.  .  .  This  is  artistic  fidelity  to  nature  in  high  degree.  .  .  .  Nothing  of 
equal  simplicity  could  be  more  effective  than  these  little  marginal  oddities  and 
whimsies.     The  book  is  thoroughly  good,  both  in  purpose  and  execution." 

—New  York  Evening  Post. 

"This  book  is  unique  in  conception  and  illustration.  .  .  .  One  of  the 
most  valuable  contributions  to  animal  psychology  and  biography  that  has  yet 
appeared.  Mr.  Seton-Thompson  is  not  only  a  naturalist  and  an  animal  artist  of 
very  high  attainments,  but  is  master  of  a  literary  style  that  is  at  once  graphic 
and  fascinating.  .  .  .  The  author  of  '  Wild  Animals  I  Have  Known  '  is  a 
keen  woodsman,  as  well  as  an  accomplished  artist  and  writer,  and  has  given 
us  a  book  that  opens  a  new  field  to  our  vision." 

— /.  A.  Allen  in  The  American  Naturalist. 

"  In  its  mechanical  make-up  the  book  is  a  great  success.  The  illustrations 
by  the  author  are  among  the  best  of  modern  book-making." 

—Boston  Universalist  Leader. 

"  Nothing  apart  from  '  The  Jungle  Book  '  has  ever  approached  these  tales 
in  interest,  and  the  200  illustrations  add  greatly  to  their  charm." 

—New  York  World. 

"  The  originality  and  freshness  of  these  stories  is  irresistible.  ...  In 
everything  he  does,  Mr.  Thompson  has  a  way  peculiarly  his  own.  .  .  . 
Even  if  naked  and  unadorned,  the  facts  he  tells  us  would  be  very  interesting; 
but  when  we  have  the  facts  and  the  factors  fairly  dancing  before  us,  clothed  in 
all  the  quaint  quips  and  droll  persiflage  of  an  accomplished  humorist  and  born 
story-teller,  they  are— as  I  have  said— irresistible."— il/r.  William  T.  Horna- 
day.  Director  N.  Y.  Zoological  Park,  in  Recreation. 


By  Ernest  Thompson  Seton 


THE    TRAIL    OF    THE 
SANDHILL    STAG 

Written  and  illustrated  with  60  drawings.     Square  i2mo, 
$1.50. 


CRITICAL   NOTICES 

"  One  of  the  most  thoroughly  attractive  of  the  autumn  books.  .  .  .  The 
story  is  almost  too  perfect  a  whole  to  lend  itself  readily  to  quotation.  .  .  • 
A  story  to  be  read  and  re-read,  finding  fresh  beauty  at  each  reading,  and  a 
book  well  worth  the  owning.  .  .  .  It  is  impossible  to  write  too  highly  of  the 
illustrations.  Pictures  which  really  illustrate  are  all  too  rare,  and  the  combi- 
nation of  author-artist  is  usually  a  fascinating  one."— iVljzf  Vor/t  Times. 

"  It  is  difficult  to  determine  which  gives  one  the  most  pleasure  in  a  book 
by  Mr.  Ernest  Seton-Thompson— the  author-artist's  narrative  or  the  artist- 
author's  pictures.  The  two  together  certainly,  as  in  the  case  of '  The  Trail  of 
the  Sandhill  Stag,'  unite  to  produce  a  singularly  harmonious  result.  Mr. 
Seton-Thompson  can  read  the  heart  of  the  hunted  animal  as  well  as  count  the 
pulse-beats  of  the  huntsman  himself,  and  in  this  tale  is  condensed  the  whole 
tragic  story  of  the  chase.  This  double  point  of  view  is  unique  with  this 
writer."—"  Droch  "  in  Life. 

"  Bliss  Carman,  speaking  of  '  The  Trail  of  the  Sandhill  Stag,'  says  :  '  I  had 
fancied  that  no  one  could  touch  '  The  Jungle  Book  '  for  a  generation  at  least, 
but  Mr.  Thompson  has  done  it.  We  must  give  him  place  among  the  young 
masters  at  once.'    And  we  agree  with  Mr.  Carman."  — 7"/^^  Bookman. 

"  Nothing  more  beautiful  in  a  dainty  way  has  been  brought  out  in  Canada." 

—  Toronto  World. 

"  It  gives  us  again  glimpses  of  the  life  of  animals  that  are  astonishing  for 
their  delicacy  of  perception,  and  charming  by  the  deftness  of  their  literary 
ioxmy—New  York  Mail  and  Express. 

"A  breezy  little  narrative  of  outdoor  life.  .  .  .  The  author  has  cele- 
brated the  steadfast  hunt  and  its  interesting  end  with  art  and  emotion" 

— New  York  Tribune. 

"  Is  a  truly  poetic  bit  of  impressionistic  ^xos^.''— Chicago  Tribune. 


OUR     NATIVE     TREES 

AND    HOW    TO    IDENTIFY    THEM 

By  Harriet  L.  Keeler.  With  178  full-page  plates  from 
photographs,  and  162  text-drawings.  Crown  8vo, 
;^2.oo  net. 


CRITICAL    0PINI0^4S 

C.  S.  SARGENT,  Professor  of  Arboriculture  in  Harvard  University  : 

"Of  such  popular  books  the  latest  and  by  far  the  most  interesting  is  by 
Miss  Harriet  L.  Keeler.  .  .  .  Miss  Keeler's  descriptions  are  clear,  com- 
pact, and  well  arranged,  and  the  technical  matter  is  supplemented  by  much 
interesting  and  reliable  information  concerning  the  economical  uses,  the 
history  and  the  origin  of  the  trees  which  she  describes.  Outline  drawings  of 
the  flowers  and  of  the  fruits  of  many  of  the  species,  and  beautifully  repro- 
duced full-page  photographic  plates  of  the  leaves  or  of  branches  of  the  prin- 
cipal trees,  facilitate  their  determination." 

"  The  value  of  a  book  of  this  character  is  not  only  enhanced  by  its 
numerous  illustrations,  but  positively  dependent  upon  them ;  those  in  the 
present  volume  being  of  unusual  interest;  and  the  book  ...  is  one 
which  should  add  new  interest  to  the  coming  Summer  for  many  to  whom 
nature  is  practically  a  sealed  book,  as  well  as  heighten  the  pleasure  of  others 
to  whom  she  has  long  been  dear."— iV.  Y.  Times  Saturday  Review. 

OUR   COMMON    BIRDS 

AND    HOW  TO    KNOW  THEM 

By  John  B.  Grant.     With  64  full-page  plates.     Oblong 
i2mo,  $1.50  net 

partial  list  of  PLATES:  hoot  owl,  belted  kingfisher,  whip- 
poor-will,  KINGBIRD,  PHCEBE,  BLUE  JAY,  BOBOLINK,  MEADOVVLARK,  ORCHARD 
ORIOLE,  PL'RPLE  FINCH,  RED  CROSSBILL,  SNOWFLAKE,  SNOWBIRD,  SONG  SPAR- 
ROW, CARDINAL,  SUMMER  REDBIRD,  CEDARBIRD,  MAGNOLIA  WARBLER,  BROWN 
THRUSH,  WINTER  WREN,  WOOD  THRUSH,  ROBIN,  and  42  OtherS. 

"The  book  is  learned,  but  not  too  much  so  for  common  use,  and,  if 
carefully  studied,  it  will  introduce  the  student  into  that  interesting  world  of 
bird  life  where  a  few  favored  mortals,  such  as  the  author,  Bradford  Torrev, 
Olive  Thome  Miller  and  a  small  handful  more,  have  won  their  way  and 
brought  back  so  much  of  delight.  The  book  has  more  than  sixty  plates  of 
the  commoner  American  birds,  with  descriptions,  and  a  very  enjoyable  and 
instructive  introductory  essay."— T'//^  Congregationalist. 

"  It  gives  plain,  practical  illustration  regarding  birds  and  how  best  to  study 
them  in  their  haunts  and  homes  in  the  woods  and  fields.  The  plates  adorn 
the  pages  and  give  value  to  the  concise,  clearly  written  text." 

Chicago  Infer-Ocean. 


